India now pays more attention to environment: Venkaiah Naidu
Dehradun, April 25: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said India now pays much more attention to environment than earlier.
Addressing the convocation of 2016 Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy here, Naidu said states must be incentivised for increasing forest cover, adding that Niti Aayog and the Centre must have provisions to encouraging states doing well.
"India is among the fastest growing economies in the world today... It is now paying much more attention to environment than earlier," Naidu said, adding while 15,000 hectares of forest land was anually diverted to non-forest activities before 1980, it was then reduced to 15,500 hectares.
Addressing the trainee officers, Naidu said: "You are entering the forest service at a crucial time in which India is trying to carve out an important and rightful position in the world."
The Vice President also pointed out how management strategies were changed over time.
"I have been told that scientific forest management in India is more than a century old We have come a long way in changing the management strategies from keeping people away from the forests for protection purposes to managing the forest with cooperation of people," he said, asking the batch of IFS, comprising two trainee officers from Bhutan, to keep an approach to balance national interest and welfare of people.
He said top most priority must be given to the forest, rivers, adding that environment protection and economic development must go together.
As per the India State of Forest Report, 2017, India is ranked 10th in the world with 24.4 per cent of land under forest and tree cover. Between 2015 to 2017, India has recorded one per cent growth in forest cover.
Naidu stressed that overgrazing, shifting cultivation and fires have resulted in elimination of many species.
"We need to work with local communities to rehabilitate the degenerated forests and encourage farmers to adopt ecologically sustainable practices. This is not an easy job and best brains and hearts are needed to make this fine balance," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress calls for probe over BJP's 'use of blackmail' to bring Ajit Pawar into NDA fold
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Saturday called for a probe into alleged "blackmail" and "coercion" used to bring NCP leader Ajit Pawar into the NDA fold and said the BJP's "washing machine" was nowhere more powerful than in Maharashtra.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's recent remarks to claim that the issue involved not just the use of "coercion and blackmail" but also breach of the oath of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act.
"The BJP's washing machine is an all-India phenomenon but perhaps nowhere was it more powerful than in Maharashtra," he said.
When in opposition before 2014, the BJP raised allegations about massive corruption by Ajit Pawar, then the state's irrigation and water resources minister, Ramesh pointed out and added that the allegations claimed corruption to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore.
Ajit Pawar has now confirmed that blackmail and coercion surrounding these charges were used by the BJP to bring him over to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Congress leader claimed.
"The non-biological prime minister himself led the charge, famously labelling the NCP -- now his much beloved ally at the state and Centre -- as a Naturally Corrupt Party," he said.
"Ajit Pawar has now revealed that after becoming chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis showed him a file recommending an open inquiry against Ajit Pawar in the alleged irrigation scam. One can only imagine the threat that was implicit in this move: submit to us, or face action," Ramesh said.
Ajit Pawar and several other MLAs broke away from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state last year.
Ramesh asserted that this was a serious matter since it involved not just the use of coercion and blackmail but also breach of the oath of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act.
An investigation should be conducted into this matter, the Congress leader said.
His remarks came days after Ajit Pawar alleged he was "backstabbed" by close colleague and then home minister RR Patil, who ordered an open inquiry against him in the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam.
Ajit Pawar claimed a file mentioning Patil's remarks ordering an inquiry was shown to him by BJP leader Fadnavis after he became chief minister in 2014.
He made these claims while addressing a rally for NCP candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil, who is in the fray against the late Patil's son Rohit from Tasgaon in Sangli district.
