This is the bad sort of green cover

The Indian environment ministry restricts public access to specific project clearance data, arguing this aligns with Right to Information laws by protecting sensitive financial details. However, this move disproportionately favors project proponents and weakens the perceived robustness of the environmental clearance process. Reducing transparency undermines the ability to scrutinize environmental impact assessments and public consultations. Globally, lack of openness has led to significant ecological and health harms, suggesting that opaque processes fail to ensure sustainable development or protect human well-being. This article highlights a critical tension in open_data between legal compliance and genuine accountability. By limiting access, the ministry misses an opportunity to build public trust and ensure robust checks. True sustainability requires greater transparency rather than restricted information flow, even when legally permissible.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Published on 2023-04-24