Assam Governor attends World Environment Day programme
Calls for an action plan for sustainable living in harmony with nature
Governor advocates for making society more inclusive, fair and more connected with the nature to reverse phenomena of environment degradation
Guwahati,Rongili Ba: Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi said that in view of the harms meted out to the environment, an urgent action plan is required as the celebrations of the World Environment Day with the theme ‘Only One Earth’ today gave a clarion call to everybody to focus human actions on sustainable living in harmony with nature.
Speaking on the occasion of World Environment Day celebrated at Assam Biotech Park at Amingaon here today, Prof. Mukhi said that as a part of the action plan to reverse environmental degradation, government of Assam is strengthening people-forest interface and encouraging people’s participation in forestry and wild life management. He also said that in this contest, Assam Forest Department has also involved the forest fringe villagers and eco-development committees to address environment related concerns.
The Governor also said that the State government has committed itself to bring about development in synergy with nature and therefore, along with creating an ecosystem of industrialization, the government laid emphasis on creating new forest reserves. He, in this context, informed that the government of late announced two new national parks namely Dehing Patkai and Raimona national parks. He also said that in the last five years, State government has implemented several programmes for conservation and protection of forest and wildlife in the state. During this period, 10,353 hectare area were brought under plantation. Further works are in progress for enhancing the quality of forests by raising plantations on 12,510 hectare lands under Assam project on forest and bio-diversity conservation and 1784 hectare plantation under CAMPA.
The Governor said, “Celebrations of World Environment Day is very important as it gives us an opportunity to reflect and renew our pledge towards our environment. Our environment is subjected to unthinkable pressures. Because of our own actions, climate is heating up too quickly for people and nature to adapt to it. Habitat loss and other pressures put several species under the threat of extinction. Pollution is another threat to our environment”. He said that the answer to this problem would be to transform the society to make it more inclusive, fair and more connected with the nature. He also said that the order of the day is to shift the human actions from harming the environment to healing it. Prof. Mukhi also said that the celebrations of World Environment Day should be celebrated to encourage awareness among all stakeholders and the public in general to champion the cause of environment and garner political patronage.
Speaking on the green energy to address environment concerns Prof. Mukhi referred to India’s commitments to the Paris Agreement, which came into force on November 4, 2016, to protect the planet from global warming and climate change. The Governor also mentioned about International Solar Alliance which is a dedicated forum for cooperation among solar resource rich countries to support the increasing use of solar. He also cited the example of Raj Bhavan Assam where dedicated grid of solar power is used.
The programme organised by Environment and Forests Department saw the presence of Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, PCCF Amit Sahay, DC, Kamrup Kailash Kartik .N, Chairman of State Pollution Control Board Dr.Arup Kumar Mishra along with other dignitaries.
Earlier, Governor Prof. Mukhi attended a World Environment Day programme celebrated at Raj Bhavan Assam where he spoke on the need of safeguarding the environment against several human actions in the presence of the school students. Synchronsing with the day, a sapling plantation programme was also organised in the campus of Raj Bhavan where the Governor along with the school students planted saplings.
The First Lady of Assam Prem Mukhi, Commissioner and Secretary to the Governor S.S.Meenakshi Sundaram, DC,Kamrup (M) Pallav Gopal Jha, Members of Aaranyak, Members of an NGO Sahajyer Hath-a unit of Sarva Bharatiya Sylheti Forum, students and teachers of various schools and officials of Raj Bhavan, Agriculture and Social Forestry division were present in the functionat Raj Bhavan.