HIGH LEVEL NATIONAL
COMMITTEE ON MOUTAIN
DEVELOPMENT
SET
UP WORKSHOP
IN DARJEELING
A 21 Member high level National Committee has been constituted
for preparation of an action plan for sustainable mountain development
in the country. This Committee will be headed by the Minister
of Environment and Forests Shri T.R. Baalu. The terms of reference
of the Committee include preparation of action plan with the involvement
of government and non-governmental institutions, coordination
of relevant national initiatives and events and to take up follow
up activities and programmes as decided by the Committee.
The other Members of the Committee include
Environment Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Sikkim,
Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,
Kerala, and Uttranchal besides the Secretary in the Union Ministry
of Environment and Forests, Director G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan
Environment and Development, Almora, Director Wadia Institute
of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, resident society for Himalayan
Environmental Rehabilitation and People’s Action and Director
General of Tata Energy Research Institute, New Delhi. Shri Desh
Deepak Verma, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Environment
and Forests will be the Member-Secretary of this Committee.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests is organizing a two-day
conference on sustainable mountain development at Darjeeling from
20-21 September, 2002. The Conference would discuss inter-alia,
impacts of climate change on hydrological balance and glacier
recession, water sharing and hydropower development, issues relating
to land and agriculture, forestry and bio-diversity. The Conference
would focus on ecological, social and institutional issues in
mountain development in the Darjeeling region. Shri T.R. Baalu,
Ms. Rejoice Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism, Government of South Africa, Shri Pawan Chamling,
Chief Minister of Sikkim and the Environment Minister of West
Bengal, Shri Manvendra Mukhopadhyay besides the members of the
National Committee will participate in the Conference.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests is organizing regional
workshops and conferences on sustainable development as a part
of the programmes for International Year of the Mountains – 2002.
One such workshop was held at Ooty, Tamil Nadu last month and
discussed issues related to sustainable development of mountains
in the region.
