The Union minister for environment and forests, Suresh P Prabhu chaired the high level expert committee. Amongst others present was the former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, Mohan Dharia, chairman of expert committee on environment A K Mukherjee and senior officials of the ministries of environment and forests and rural areas and employment.

The panel also called for preparation of a national perspective plan to rehabilitate the forest and non-forest wastelands in the countrywithin a period of 15 years. Wastelands will be spotted in the field and also a regional and national comprehensive plan will be chalked out for rehabilitation.

Institutional arrangements will be made for channelising bank finance through Nabard in order to provide soft loans to farmers, cooperatives and other organisations for rehabilitation of wastelands. Environmental fund will be created out of penalties and cess collected from polluting industries violating environmental norms. This fund will be invested in afforestation.

It was decided that the Planning Commission will be approached for reassessing the needs of the forestry sector and for increasing investment in forestry for checking degradation of land. Modalities will also be chalked out to launch a major awareness campaign and a national mission for environment protection and forest conservation.

The awareness campaign should be so launched that the people act as green guard for saving forests and environment. The government has also decidedto introduce environment as a compulsory subject in the curriculum of schools and colleges.