Introduction
Introduction
Environmental Information System (ENVIS), by providing scientific, technical and semi-technical information on various environmental issues since its inception in 1982-83 (Sixth Plan), has served the interests of policy formulation and environment management at all levels of Government as well as decision-making aimed at environmental protection and its improvement for sustaining good quality of life of all living beings. The purpose has been to ensure integration of national efforts in web-enabled environmental information collection, collation, storage, retrieval and dissemination to all concerned, including policy planners, decision-makers, researchers, scientists and the public.
- To build up a repository and dissemination Centre in environmental science and engineering.
- To gear up state-of-art technologies of information acquisition, processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of environmental nature.
- To support and promote research, development and innovation in environmental information technology.
- Its short-term objectives are as follows:
- To provide national environmental information service relevant to present needs and capable of meeting the future needs of the users, originators, processors and disseminators of information.
- To build up storage, retrieval and dissemination capabilities, with the ultimate objective of disseminating information speedily to the users.
- To promote national and international cooperation and liaison for exchange of environment-related information.
- To promote, support and assist education and personnel training programmes designed to enhance environmental information processing and utilizing capabilities.
- To promote and exchange of environment-related information amongst developing countries.
Functionally, it is a decentralized system of Centres mandated to develop a distributed network of subject-specific databases. With the association of the various State Governments/Union Territories’ Administrations in promoting the ENVIS networkto cover a wide range of subjects, 28 ENVIS Centres are operating from State/UT Departments/ Pollution Control Boards on State/ UT-wide status of environment and related issues.
ENVIS network at present consists of a chain of 60 ENVIS Centres out of which 34 are on subject-specific and on 26 State/UT related issues. These Centres are hosted by notable organizations/institutions/State/UT Government Departments/ Universities throughout the country. The Focal Point of ENVIS is located in the Ministry and assists the EI Division in coordinating the activities of all the ENVIS network partners. The list of ENVIS network partners is given here.
Related Document: Guidelines Governing ENVIS Scheme 
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Comparative Status of Annual Sanctions and Releases of Plan funds under the ENVIS Scheme to 68 ENVIS Centres (as on 28.02.2015)
