India, Jan. 21 -- Environmental Protection Fund risks institutionalising pollution as a revenue stream.

Penalties for environmental violations now fund regulatory systems.

The fund's structure raises concerns about its effectiveness in truly restoring the environment.

Imagine a hospital that can run only if more people fall sick. The healthier the city becomes, the poorer the hospital gets. That uncomfortable logic now echoes through India's environmental governance with the notification of the Environmental (Protection) Fund Rules, 2026. Notified by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on January 15, 2026 and published in the Gazette of India, the rules have brought into force a long-dormant provision of the En...