Javadekar emphasises on striking balance between environment, economy

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar has emphasised on adopting holistic approach taking into consideration both the environmental conservation as well as growth of the country.

Javadekar has said this during the NCAVES India Forum 2021, organised by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in a virtual format, with live sessions on January 14, 21 and 28, concluded on Thursday, according to a statement by MoSPI.

The NCAVES stands for 'Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services'.

The event covered a wide range of topics pertaining to the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), according to the statement.

MoSPI released the India EVL Tool giving a synoptic view of the environmental valuation studies conducted in India during the past 20 years.

Javadekar has highlighted that the government is firmly proceeding to guide the country on the path of sustainable development and looks forward to evolving a comprehensive view of the natural resources and ecosystems.

"Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar stressed that a holistic approach should be adopted taking into consideration both the environmental conservation as well as growth of the country," it said.

During the virtual forum, Statistics Minister Rao Inderjit Singh said that the ministry's constant endeavour to provide timely and quality statistics would enable evidence-based policy-making.

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Babul Supriyo said state governments play a major role in ensuring that the development activities are devoid of any negative effect on the environment.

The need of the hour is to work collaboratively with states and local governments to implement laws that protect environment, he added.

In the first session on January 14, Ugo Astuto, ambassador of the EU Delegation to India, complimented MoSPI on its efforts and stressed the importance of natural capital accounting to build science-based, data-driven policies and in monitoring their implementation.

The importance of protecting the natural capital and addressing the concerns of sustainability were stressed by all the dignitaries including by Inger Andersen, under secretary general and executive director of UNEP; Elizabeth Mrema, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); and Elliott Harris, assistant secretary general and Chief Economist, UN.

They endorsed the use of SEEA as an integrated information system that can help take the right decisions to counter the present day challenges, including those of climate change and the biodiversity crisis.

Emphasising the relevance of environment accounting to the Indian context, Renata Dessallien, UN Resident Coordinator, said holistic growth or development can only be concretised by ensuring planetary well-being.

MoSPI Secretary Kshatrapati Shivaji said MoSPI is geared up to redefine its roles and responsibilities in line with the national priorities and to strengthen India's national statistical system to provide timely inputs for policy and stronger dissemination practices for public.

He also said the adoption of SEEA is one of the initiatives taken up by the ministry in this direction.

In the second session held on January 21, MoSPI announced its plan to develop a "Strategy for Environmental Economic Accounting for India".

MoSPI Director General (Statistics) Shailja Sharma also announced the ministry's plans to develop a strategy for environmental economic accounting, which would be released on the National Statistics Day on June 29, 2021.

The web portal developed for the Forum had about 150 resources on environmental accounting, including regular data series and research publications.