New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) Many projects will no longer need environmental impact assessment (EIA) and clearance from the government, according to amendments to EIA rules proposed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh informed parliament Monday that the proposals included:

* Threshold limits of construction projects (that require clearance) would be raised from 20,000 to 50,000 square metres

* Modernisation and expansion projects without increase in pollution load would be exempt from EIA provisions

* Prospecting of minerals would be exempt

* Biomass based power plans up to 50 MW would be exempt

Ramesh informed the Rajya Sabha in response to a question that the amendments envisaged more involvement of civil society groups in environmental clearance.