Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Bid to increase green cover
The Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh, set a target of increasing India’s green cover by 10 per cent from the current level of 23 per cent in the next few years.
Noting that economic development was threatening the biodiversity in the country, the Minister said there was a need for greater sensitivity towards ecological issues.
He was addressing an expert group on Traditional Knowledge for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad.
He cited an instance of how about 600 acres of mangrove forest land was sought to be destroyed for building an international airport. “Impact of climatic changes on biodiversity is something we have to deal with more seriously,” he said.
The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajashekara Reddy, said the State Government had accepted a proposal from the Centre for the latter’s takeover of the Hyderabad-based Environment Protection, Training and Research Institute. “The Centre is willing to take over the institute and develop it on a national level. We have accepted the proposal,” he said.

1 comment:

Mohan Chandra Pargaien said...

Hope the targets set by our minister are really achieved .