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The environmental cost of recovery

Can India balance growth with protection of its environment? Or should creating jobs get priority?

A new draft law on environmental impact assessment in India has sparked a debate. Critics say it is investor-friendly and will make it easier for industrial and infrastructure projects to get clearances, which may lead to severe environmental consequences. They also blame the government for trying to rush through the crucial law during a lockdown.

India, on the other hand, is facing its worst job crisis ever. The country鈥檚 GDP contracted by nearly 24% in the first quarter of 2020. And for PM Modi鈥檚 administration, it is crucial to quickly revive the crashing economy.

So, can India balance growth with protection of its environment? Or should creating jobs get priority?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we question if the environmental cost of economic recovery is too high, and whether green jobs offer a better alternative for growth.

Presenter: Divya Arya

Contributors: Kanchi Kohli, environmental researcher, Centre for Policy Research; Ashis Dash, CEO, Sustainable Mining, FIMI; Sowmya Reddy, environmental activist, Congress lawmaker

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 27 Sep 2020 09:06GMT

Image credit

People sit on a boat in the flooded Ganges River under the Shastri Bridge (Credit: Sanjay Kanojia/AFP via Getty Images)

Broadcasts

  • Fri 25 Sep 2020 14:32GMT
  • Sat 26 Sep 2020 10:32GMT
  • Sun 27 Sep 2020 09:06GMT

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