Environment Information System (ENVIS) is a central sector scheme of Ministry of Environment & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Government of India since 1982-83. It is a Pan- India network of 67 Hubs/ RPs in State/ UT Governments & in reputed Institutions/Organisations.

Background

In Punjab State Council for Science & Technology (PSCST), Chandigarh an Environment Information System (ENVIS) Node on the subject area “Water Resource Management” was established in January 2001. Under Sustainable Development Network Programme (SDNP) by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), GoI and in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

During 2002, the SDNP Node continued to work on the same subject area “Water Resource Management” as ENVIS Node under the World Bank assisted Environment Management Capacity Building Technical Assistance Project (EMCBTAP). Further, the Ministry set up another EMCBTAP-ENVIS Node ‘State Environment Issues’ in PSCST in December 2002 to work on locale specific issues. Thus, two Nodes on ‘Water Resource Management’ and ‘State Environment Issues’ were operating in Council during 2002-2005. In 2005, the Ministry shifted the Nodes on specific themes to concerned departments. Thus, the Node on “Water Resource Management” operational on PSCST was shifted to the concerned department.

The Node on ‘State Environment Issues’ was further upgraded to ENVIS Centre in 2004-05 to work on the subject ‘Status of Environment & Related Issues’ by the MoEF, GOI, in the 10th five year plan. The Centre was established on 1st February 2005 and the Website was launched on 15 February 2005 with (Url: www.punenvis.nic.in).

During 2005, MoEF, GoI selected the Punjab ENVIS Centre, among 20 selected Centres (out of 78 Centers at that time in India) to work as partners under Sustainable Development Network Programme (SDNP) in collaboration with Indo-Canadian Environment Fund (ICEF) for two years. Under this collaboration, the Centre was given an additional responsibility to work on the thematic area “Agriculture & Water Harvesting” to strengthen the ENVIS network towards Sustainable Development. On the ENVIS Center’s website a SNDP-ENVIS link was provided and the Centre collected, collated and disseminated the national level information through it.

During the year 2012, the Ministry re-launched ENVIS Websites with new uniform template and the Punjab ENVIS Centre in PSCST also re-launched its new website in the same year highlighting ’Status of Environment & Related Issues’ with url: www.punenvis.nic.in. Further, the ENVIS scheme was re-vamped during 2017 and the Punjab ENVIS Centre being amongst the State Centres was renamed  as "ENVIS Hub".

ENVIS Hub, Punjab

Punjab ENVIS Hub, a State Centre is currently working on the theme “Status of Environment & Related Issues” with the following objectives:

  • Collection, collation and dissemination of information on state environment & related issues through a dedicated website, knowledge products & outreach activities.
  • Regular updation &  maintenance of ENVIS Hub Website.
  • Monthly collection & compilation of News items on state environment & related issues.
  • Creation and maintenance of Numeric/Static time-series database repository on various themes related to state specific environment & related issues.
  • Updation of Indian State Level Basic Environmental Database (ISBEID) modules with state & district level information.
  • To establish linkages & networking with information users and providers from Govt. Departments, Academia and Non-Governmental Organizations including ENVIS.

New Initiatives of ENVIS include:

1.  Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP)

 

2.  Grid-based Decision Support System (GRIDSS) by conducting a National Environmental Survey.