Vice president appeals to all stakeholders from Panchayats to Parliament to proactively protect environment
The Vice president M. Vekaiah Naidu on Friday appealed to all the stakeholders from Panchayat to Parliament to proactively act in protecting the environment by becoming the warrior in view of the climate crisis going on world over.
The vice president of India was today interacting with the trainees of World Bharat Trust, Hyderabad. Emphasising on the need to safeguard the humanity by playing a proactive role in protecting the environment and also stringently dealing with the violators vice president Venkaiah Naidu said that the need of the hour is to strictly deal with the environmental laws violators, ensuring strict implementation of ” Pollution Pays” Principles. Expressing his concern by highlighting the the disasters of Himachal Pradesh recently including massive landslides in Uttarakhand and heatwaves of Canada and United States of America, Vice president said that these are the instances of increasing frequency of extreme weather events due to global warming and climate change adding further that ‘these are tell-tale signs that climate change is real and cannot be wished away.’ Vice president Naidu also expressed concern about the recent lightning-related deaths in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and noted that the increased lightning strikes (34 per cent more in India during 2020-21 compared to the previous year) are also being linked by scientists to the climate crisis.
While conversing with the trainees at Swarna Bharat Trust, Hyderabad, the Vice President said that in the light of these worrisome trends, it is imperative for us to co-exist harmoniously with nature while protecting the environment to ensure the well-being of all. Going forward, the Vice President suggested is extremely important to balance our developmental needs with environmental protection. “It cannot be business as usual”, vice president Vekaiah Naidu stressed.
Recalling the importance given to nature in Indian civilisation, the Vice President said that we should act as ‘trustees’ to our natural environment, as Gandhiji advised.
Mentioning about India’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, leadership in forging the International Solar Alliance he called for even greater substantive global efforts towards mitigating climate change.
The Vice President also underscored how environment and health are deeply intertwined. “Studies have revealed that spending time in nature lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and enhances emotional well-being.
Emphasising the need to keep nature healthy and being an important part of it by all means he said “Being close to nature leaves us rejuvenated”. He called for creating awareness from a young age on the need to live in harmony with nature. “It was also found that children who received outdoor training were more satisfied and emotionally well-balanced. Every school should make outdoor activities like gardening and trekking an integral part of the curriculum”, he emphasized.
Speaking to the young trainees at the Trust, vice president Naidu expressed concern about the increasing cases of myopia among children. He referred to his interaction with experts at the L V Prasad Eye Institute and cautioned that, according to experts, 64 million children living in urban areas in the country are likely to have myopia by 2050 if no anti-myopia measures are initiated soon.
Referring to the experts’ opinion that current digital-ecosystem and the indoor-centric lifestyle were possible reasons for the increasing cases of myopia among children, the Vice President called for implementing the experts’ advice of making outdoor play time of one hour mandatory in all schools.
Addressing the trainees, Naidu suggested that skill development and skill upgradation are necessary in the new job market in the context of the fourth industrial revolution.
He noted that the New Education Policy is in tune with these emerging demands of the economy and called upon the industry to join hands with the government to train and upskill the youth. “A skilled workforce is critical to India’s accelerated growth in the coming years”, Shri Naidu observed.Shri G.N. Rao, founder of LV Prasad Eye Institute, Dr. Prashant Garg, senior ophthalmologist from LV Prasad Eye Institute, Shri Chigurupati Krishna Prasad, President of Swarna Bharat Trust, Shri Bhadrareddy, Treasurer of Mallareddy Educational Institutions, students undergoing training at Swarna Bharat Trust and others were present during the eventevent.
