New Delhi, Jan 12 (PTI) Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday emphasised that development projects in critical ecosystems like the Himalayas should be balanced, expressing concern over diminishing
glaciers.
He also highlighted the strategic importance of natural resources, saying today's geopolitics largely rested on natural resources and their utilisation.
Chairing a meeting of the National Institute for Research and Application of Natural Resources to Transform, Adapt and Build Resilience (NIRANTAR), Yadav stressed that India has a large repository of natural resources, and there is a need for balanced, suitable and sensible utilisation of these resources.
"Our strength lies in our natural resources, particularly bio resources. While India has advanced in manufacturing, data, software and other industrial sectors, four essentials of life -- food, medicine, energy and oil -- ultimately emanate from nature," he said.
"The country must make a balanced policy for environmental protection and industrial development," he noted.
Referring to the challenges posed by climate change, Yadav said, "Glaciers are diminishing, and development in critical ecosystems like the Himalayas should be balanced. Institutions like the GB Pant National Institute for Himalayan Ecology and the National Institute for Sustainable Coastal Management could play an important role in this regard through cooperation and collaboration."
NIRANTAR is a platform of institutions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) aimed at improving coordination in conservation efforts.
The minister said the four verticals of NIRANTAR focus on different aspects of research, assessment of outcomes and their ultimate utilisation. He underlined the importance of India's bio-resources and said the platform could play a crucial role in ensuring their sustainable use for development.
"MoEFCC should be a contributor to the country's development, while preventing over-exploitation of natural resources. Policy-making for preservation and conservation has a wide impact on the economy," he said. PTI GJS GJS ARB
ARB
