NEW DELHI, OCT 6: President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday conferred the sustainable leadership award to Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling at the first World Sustainable Development Summit, which is underway at Vigyan Bhavan and India Habitat Centre.
Chamling, who received the award on behalf of the people of his state said, “This is a recognition for our initiatives to the conservation and protection of nature. It is a result of our sustainable effort for the last 24 years”.
Taking pride that the organic model is being replicated in other states including Meghalaya, Nagaland and Assam, amongst others, Chamling pledged that to further the cause of environment and saving Mother Nature, Sikkim would continue its initiatives to contribute whatever they can.
Mukherjee while congratulating Chamling said, “Sikkim is the smallest state of the country yet the most advanced one in terms of taking up initiatives towards sustainable development keeping in harmony with climate change requirements. People of this small beautiful land which is organic based have shown immense faith on Chamling for his endeavour in such desired goals.”
Sikkim is the only state in India to have attained the official status of a fully organic state in January 2016. Around 75000 hectares of land in Sikkim has been converted into certified organic farms over the years, following the guidelines prescribed by National Programme for Organic Production.
Sikkim contributes around 80,000 million metric tons (MT) organic production out of total 1.24 million tons of organic production recorded in India.
Pawan Kumar Chamling after receiving the award said, “It gives me immense pleasure to say that despite a very late inclusion into the Indian territory, Sikkim is the forerunner when it comes to adaptation to climate change and sustainable development and protection of environment. This award is a validation towards our effort.”
Sustainable Development Leadership award is conferred by TERI annually on eminent individuals engaged in encouraging global initiatives that can lead the world towards a sustainable future. Chamling is the 12th recipient of the award.
Mukherjee inaugurated the summit today, attended by world leaders of climate, environment and energy, organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on the theme “Beyond 2015: People, Planet and Progress”.
Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said, “The threat of climate change is real and immediate. It concerns the whole world as its ill-effects are all-pervasive. As a developing country with shared concerns on climate vulnerability, India has a vital stake in an equitable and multi-lateral approach towards climate change. India ratified the landmark Paris Agreement four days ago. This will be a major boost to our fight against climate change”.
He said that India has to follow a twin-tracked approach of limiting the rise of climate change while ensuring the existence of sufficient resources to meet our future developmental requirements.
The president also laid emphasis on the mandate of efficient use of earth’s natural resource. “We should aim at creating a society that is prosperous but not wasteful. We should make use of our abundant renewable sources to create a society that is self-sustaining and mindful of its responsibilities towards the present and future generations. Our society must learn to exercise restraint in consumption while continuing to use resources in moderation”, he said.
He said that the summit would motivate the people and policy makers to transform the way we think about progress. “The barometer of prosperity is not merely economic growth but the well-being and availability of opportunities for all”, he added.
He also expressed hope that the summit would deliberate on policy discourse and conceptualize new solutions to find innovative pathways of development.-By Saidul Khan
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