Must make Balanced Policy for Environmental Protection and Industrial Development: Bhupender Yadav

India’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mr Bhupender Yadav, on Monday, chaired a meeting of the National Institute for Research & Application of Natural Resources to Transform, Adapt and Build Resilience (NIRANTAR), a platform of institutions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) aimed at improving coordination and collaboration.

Highlighting the strategic importance of natural resources, the Minister said that today’s geopolitics largely rests on their availability and utilisation.

He said, “Our strength lies in our natural resources, particularly bio resources”, adding that while India has advanced in manufacturing, data, software and other industrial sectors, four essentials of life, i.e. food, medicine, energy, and oil, ultimately emanate from nature.

Stressing that India has a large repository of natural resources, Mr Yadav said there was a need for balanced, suitable and wise utilisation of these resources. The country must make a “balanced policy for environmental protection and industrial development”, he noted.

The Minister said the four verticals of NIRANTAR focus on different aspects of research, outcome assessment, and their ultimate utilisation. He underlined the importance of India’s bioresources and said the platform could play a crucial role in ensuring their sustainable use for development.

Referring to climate change challenges, Mr Yadav said glaciers were diminishing and “development in critical ecosystems like the Himalayas should be balanced”.

He said institutions such as the G.B. 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.

The Minister said that MoEFCC should contribute to the country’s development while preventing the overexploitation of natural resources. He added that policymaking for preservation and conservation has a wide impact on the economy.

He said NIRANTAR should focus on three aspects: research, its role in policymaking and the way ahead, and emphasised the importance of institution building through committed and capable human resources. He said a small group of scientists could help coordinate efforts and bridge gaps.

In conclusion, Mr Yadav said that the “Whole of Government” approach, along with better coordination and cooperation, was essential to achieving meaningful outcomes from the NIRANTAR platform.