Environment and development walk hand in hand under BJP rule, says Union minister Bhupender Yadav in Goa

MARGAO: Union minister for environment, forests and climate change, Bhupender Yadav, on Saturday stressed on the need for environment-based development and said that climate change solutions should be guided by principles of climate justice.
“Development and environment should not be seen as opposed to each other,” Yadav said while addressing a gathering at a function held at Ravindra Bhavan, Curchorem, to mark the national-level celebration of world wetlands day.“In fact, environment-based development is what it ought to be. When we talk of climate change, there should be a discussion on climate justice as well. We will have to make both these aspects complementary, so that everybody is able to live in dignity.”
Yadav further said that since the BJP came to office nine years ago India has charted a new path of growth where environment and development walk hand in hand.
“Over the last nine years, our country has set several new records in ecological development and ecological balance. So much so that if any of the species (has faced threats of) extinction, India has worked towards its rehabilitation successfully,” he said.
Yadav earlier visited the Nanda lake at Cacora, Curchorem which has been designated as a Ramsar site (wetland of international importance as per Ramsar convention), the first ever for Goa, where he hoisted the flag and unveiled the Ramsar site signboard. Chief minister Pramod Sawant and environment minister Nilesh Cabral were also present.
Yadav termed Amrit Dharovar, Mishti, and PM-Praanam, the schemes unveiled in the 2023-24 budget, as path breaking initiatives aimed at preserving and fostering agricultural, coastal and wetland ecosystems, with local community participation. While ‘Amrit Dharohar’ is for protecting vital wetlands which sustain aquatic biodiversity, MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes) is aimed at facilitating mangrove plantation along India’s coastline and on salt pan lands to prevent erosion and help stabilise coastline ecosystems. PM-Pranam (PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth) promotes nature-oriented agricultural practices.
Yadav said that while the government strives to make policy initiatives towards environmental conservation, it was imperative that those efforts are supplemented by inculcation of “appropriate personal behavior and attitudes” by the public. “We should inculcate in ourselves an environment sense, just like a civic sense. Only then will we be able to join hands with the government in launching new initiatives in environment conservation.”
Emphasising that the government had no intention of imposing restrictions on locals’ livelihoods in its environmental conservation attempts, Yadav said what was essential was “only to blend one’s lifestyle with nature.”
The chief minister pledged his government’s commitment to conservation of wetlands in the state. “Along with the safety of tourists coming to Goa, we will ensure the migratory birds arriving in Goa will enjoy a safe and secure habitat,” he said.
Environment minister Nilesh Cabral spoke about his plans of working on two more wetlands in Goa for Ramsar site designation. “We are here to protect our environment for posterity, the way our ancestors had done,” he said.
Minister for water resources Subhash Shirodkar made an emotive pitch for the current generation not to turn its back on agriculture which he said was the only vocation that our forefathers indulged in, on account of which human civilization thrived on the banks of water bodies. And hence, the need for nature conservation, he said.