The Tamil Nadu government is planning to establish an additional State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) to facilitate faster clearances for the increasing number of infrastructure and development projects in the state. A proposal regarding this initiative has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. The state's Finance and Environment Minister, along with the Secretary of the Environment, Climate Change, and Forests Department, met with Union officials in New Delhi to present the proposal. The request includes the reconstitution of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and SEAC, as their tenure is set to end in April this year. The state emphasized the need for prompt approval to avoid delays in on-going and upcoming projects. In addition to the SEAC proposal, the Tamil Nadu government has sought approval for a project aimed at creating a green shield in Thoothukudi district. This project, submitted under the National Action Plan on Climate Change and the Green India Mission, has a proposed budget of Rs 270.53 million. Its primary objective is to mitigate sea erosion along the coastal areas using nature-based solutions to protect the environment and coastal communities. Furthermore, the state has presented a project to the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) with a budget of Rs 740.4 million. This initiative focuses on relocating Thengumarahada village from the buffer zone of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris district. The relocation aims to enhance tiger conservation efforts while addressing the ongoing human-wildlife conflict, which poses a threat to both the local population and the region's biodiversity. These proposals reflect Tamil Nadu's commitment to balancing infrastructure development with environmental sustainability and wildlife conservation. News source: The Hindu