Economic development, environmental protection can co-exist: President Mukherjee

Says India's position for climate justice, sustainable lifestyles and clean development got support at Paris Climate Change summit

India's position on climate justice, sustainable lifestyles and clean development got support at the recent Paris Climate Change summit, President Pranab Mukherjee today said insisting that both economic development and environmental protection can co-exist.

"My government firmly believes that economic development and environmental protection can co-exist.

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"At the crucial Climate Summit in Paris, India's position for climate justice, sustainable lifestyles and clean development was widely supported," he said in his address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on the opening day of the Budget session.

During the Paris Climate Change conference, around 195 nations adopted a "historic" legally-binding agreement which sought to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius.

Mukherjee also said the government has played a proactive role in addressing the issue of climate change by launching the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande had launched the alliance on the first day of the Paris climate talks in November last year.

ISA envisages coming together of 122 countries, situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, which receive abundant sunshine for around 300 days in a year.

The President said 'Swachh Bharat Mission', with its focus on behavioral change, is becoming a community movement to herald an overall change in the quality of life and well-being of the people, particularly the poor.

"Focusing on generating wealth from waste, my government has formulated policies on mandatory procurement of power from waste to energy plants, co-marketing of compost by chemicals and fertiliser companies and use of construction and demolition waste," he said.

He said real time online monitoring of 1,487 industries and industrial units in the 17 highly polluting categories and that of quality of Ganga water has started.

To reduce air pollution, target for emission standards for motor vehicles have been drastically brought forward to achieve Bharat Stage-VI norm by 2021, Mukherjee said.

Noting that the coverage of 'The Project Tiger' has expanded, Mukherjee said the latest estimation shows that there has been an increase of 30 per cent in tiger population over the last count.
"My government has launched 'Jal Kranti Abhiyan', a people-centric programme to spread awareness on water conservation and management involving all stakeholders including Gram Panchayats.

"As part of the 'Namami Gange Programme', my government is implementing several projects in all 118 cities and complete sanitation solutions for 1,649 gram panchayats on the banks of the holy Ganga," Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee said the government has aimed at increasing the renewable energy capacity to 175 GW by 2022 by encouraging various initiatives, including offshore wind energy policy, bundling of thermal power with solar power, setting up solar parks and others.

"Installed solar capacity has almost doubled in the last 20 months and crossed 5000 MW. Today under my government, solar power is affordable and accessible to thousands of people," he said.

In its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) or climate action plans submitted by India before the crucial Paris conference, it announced that it aims at achieving around 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.