World Environment Day :
An interview with Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar
Priority as an Environment Minister
My first priority is to ensure real protection of environment in India, more afforestation and simultenously engage the world with our real issues and our position in the climate change dialogue. We will be positive and ensure development, poverty reduction and also environment protection. That’s our priority.
Social Media for environment awareness
There are many misunderstandings. Some say that if you protect environment, growth is not possible; others say if you focus on growth you can not protect environment. This is not correct,. We will show how both protection of environment and balanced growth can be achieved. For that end messaging of all platforms, including social media becomes important.
On a focused communications strategy
Focused communication strategy effectively takes government’s ideas and programmes to the people. They are not any alien programmes. They are people’s programmes and hence Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi always says he needs active cooperation of people. To ensure people’s participation, we have to communicate with them. We will use new techniques and innovative ways to communicate with people to promote two way dialogue.
On protecting small islands
India has over 600 Islands, including 4 or 5 large Islands in Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep. I am not a pessimist to say that a disaster is going to strike following climate change and the islands will be destroyed. I am sure with proactive human action it is possible to protect the environment and our mother nature.
On various environment challenges
There are many challenges. Nearly one-third of our industrial waste still goes untreated into the water bodies, half of our domestic waste also goes untreated into the water bodies. So water is contaminated all over. So clean water is an important thing. Secondly air quality is another challenge. Solid waste management is the third important challenge. To tackle these we don’t need global negotiations and these we will have to be addressed by us on our own for our own good.
Message on World Environment Day
As we love our mother, we must love your nature – the mother earth. Our guide and philosopher Deen Dayal Updadhaya has very finely explained the relationship between the self, society, nature and the universe as one continuous chain. Any imbalance will hurt the human kind and therefore we must protect our environment and promote sustainable development.
(Note : On the World Environment Day, the Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar presented saplings to all parliamentarians to to evoke a positive response towards environmental protection. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented with the sapling of a Kalpavriksha tree )
(The interview of the Environment Minister was conducted by Nand Kishore Reddy.)
New Media Wing | PIB Mumbai |MD
