As environmental questions gain more traction, gaining a greater understanding of interest representation and lobbying on these questions becomes imperative.
To address this, my research consolidates population data on interest groups in India to better understand the actors, dynamics and political context within which interest groups operate.
India and the grey area of interest groups
An interest group is commonly identified as an ‘organized body of individuals who share goals and who try to influence public policy’ (Berry, 1989), encompassing groups such as think-tanks, lobby groups, activist groups, NGOs and trade unions.
The concept is broad and the perception in India ranges from seeing the groups as an essential democratic link between society and state, through to viewing them as a distorting the democratic process.
Interestingly, in India the term ‘interest group’ is not identified unilaterally as a legal body and their activities, notably lobbying, is not recognized in statutory or non-statutory form. The only law with some relevance to lobbying is one that associates lobbying with illegal actions and corruption.
This is not unique to India. Interestingly, many EU states, such as Spain and Italy, have little to no direct legislation regulating or recording lobbying – in comparison to the UK which is regulated and monitored.
Environment regulation and interest groups
India has a broad range of environmental legal provisions and regulations, with over 200 laws made for environmental protection. Alongside this is the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which is specifically designed for environment cases.
However, environment regulation enforcement and governance is generally poor. State laws impact the space for group formation and corruption is rife across industries. A good example is the coal industry, where the consultation process with communities is often bypassed.
Community groups that are looking at how to fix these issues are primarily active on a regional level.
Understanding interest groups in India
India has a prevalent history of interest group mobilisation and activity, particularly within agriculture, such as the Tebhaga Movement in 1946-50 and the farmers protests during 2020-21. Surprisingly however, there is no substantial mapping of the density of interest groups. To better understand interest group populations and strategies, I undertook a systematic review of an NGO registry, focussing on NGOs commonly cited as highly prevalent actors involved in environmental activities and among affected communities.
In my research I focussed on three states in India: Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha. These neighbouring states on the East coast hold the largest coal reserves in the country, as well as some of the largest forest and wetland coverage in the country. Concurrently, the states also had the largest number of cases put in front of the NGT by interest groups on grounds of violation of environmental policy.