Corporate Environmental Responsibility is now mandatory for Major projects

New Delhi: The environment ministry has made it compulsory for large projects to include environmental compliance in their corporate audits and report deviation to the company board of directors as well as public. Without it, the ministry will not give the mandatory environmental clearance for the project.

The specified large industries will have to put down a Corporate Environment Policy, including adherence to environmental laws. Any deviation from the clearances given will have to be reported to the board and reflected in the annual report just as financial deviations are reported on Wednesday.

It will be mandatory for all central public sector units, coal-based thermal power plants above 500 megawatts, integrated steel plants above one million tonnes per annum (mtpa), cement plants above three mtpa capacity and petroleum refining industry to have such regulations in place before they apply for environmental clearances.