Gadgil vs Kasturirangan Reports on the Western Ghats

Two government-commissioned reports studied the same mountain range and reached very different conclusions. Both are about protecting the Western Ghats.

A waterfall in the Kumaraparvatha mountain range, Western Ghats. Both the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports addressed conservation of this range. Photo by Samson Joseph, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

📑 Contents

1Must Know
2Good to Know
3Test Yourself
4Great to Know
5Previous Year Questions

Two Reports, One Mountain Range

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Gadgil Committee (2011)

64% of Western Ghats as Eco-Sensitive Zone, strict protection

Kasturirangan Committee (2013)

37% of Western Ghats as Eco-Sensitive Area, growth-balanced

The pattern: both reports address the same goal, protecting the Western Ghats, but disagree sharply on how much area and how strict the protection should be.

🏛️ Must Know

Two Reports, Same Goal, Different Answers

Both About Western Ghats The Gadgil and Kasturirangan Committee Reports both relate to one goal. That goal is protecting the Western Ghats.
Gadgil’s Strict Line The 2011 Gadgil report classified 64% of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Zone. It recommended banning mining and polluting industries there.
Kasturirangan’s Softer Line The 2013 Kasturirangan report reduced the sensitive area to about 37%, aiming to balance conservation with economic growth.
Not About Anything Else Neither report concerns constitutional reforms, the Ganga Action Plan, or the linking of rivers.

Good to Know

📘 Good to Know

Why the Two Reports Diverged

Bottom-Up vs Top-Down Gadgil’s report favoured a bottom-up approach starting with local Gram Sabhas. Kasturirangan’s leaned toward a more centralized process.
Government’s Choice The government ultimately moved away from Gadgil’s strict stance and adopted the more development-friendly Kasturirangan approach.
A Six-State Range The Western Ghats span six states, covering roughly 44 districts, making any single protection plan politically complex.

📝 Previous Year Questions

UPSC CSP 2016 — What the Two Reports Relate To

UPSC 2016 The Gadgil Committee Report and Kasturirangan Committee Report both relate to protection of the Western Ghats. See UPSC CSP 2016 GS Paper I, Q68. View this question.

Test Yourself

Great to Know

🌟 Great to Know

Why This Debate Still Matters

A UNESCO Site The Western Ghats are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a global biodiversity hotspot. That raises the stakes of this policy debate.
Ongoing Eco-Sensitive Area Notifications Draft Eco-Sensitive Area notifications for the Western Ghats have been repeatedly issued and revised in the years since both reports.
Connects to Other PYQ Facts The species living in this range, from the Great Indian Hornbill to rare amphibians, are directly affected by how this debate is eventually resolved.

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