 After several years of development of its building and exhibits, the NMNH opened in 1978, on World Environment Day (5 June).Following a negative government report in 2012 regarding the building's poor state of maintenance, in July 2015, plans were made to relocate the museum to a ₹ 2.50 billion ($39.4M, €36.4M, or £25.3M as of July 2015) green-certified building at Bhairon Marg, where "The zoological park is close by, [and] so are the National Crafts Museum, Purana Qila and National Science Centre.