In fact, Mohenjodaro's legendary Pashupati seal depicts him surrounded by our furry friends. The message: life in harmony with nature and other creatures. Would it be so difficult for environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh to set an example, attempt to emulate this perspective? If reports over the last week are anything to go by, efforts may well be on. Firstly, Ramesh's Rs46,000 crore 10-year afforestation plan, 'Green India Mission', has apparently got the PM's okay. The government will therefore apparently increase spend on forestry by 55% from the current Rs8,500 crore a year.
The environment ministry has also asked governments to identify and propose eco-sensitive areas around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, to the delight of conservationists, who stress the importance of such buffer zones along ecological corridors. In the light of a recent survey that pegs a frightening 16 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide as being emitted by vehicles annually in Mumbai alone, there is a desperate need for the life breath of green cover. Read the full report here.
Source: by Gauri Sinh, DNA, Mumbai.
