Indo-Canadian Body Sanctions Rs 17.58cr For 2 Eco Projects

The India-Canada Environment Facility has approved Rs 17.58 crore for two environment projects.

Rs 14.38 crore has been sanctioned to Manipurs Loktak Development Authority and Wetlands International-South Asia towards a water resources project.

The World Wide Fund for Nature-India has been sanctioned Rs 3.20 crore for another project titled Education and capacity building for promoting nature conservation and environmental protection in Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.

The project aims at motivating educators to produce and use environmental education resource materials and popularise environmental concepts through the curriculum. It also seeks to build infrastructure to encourage the youth to participate in programmes espousing the cause of environmental protection and regeneration of resources.

 

The Facility, which is a joint initiative of the Indian and the Canadian government, seeks to aid domestic institutions in playing a greater role in protecting the environment. The priority areas are energy, water and land resources, conservation and development.

After the latest approvals, the number of domestic projects to have benefited by the Facility has increased to 10. A project steering committee having government representatives of the two countries lays down guidelines and oversees implementation of the projects funded by it.

The World Wide Fund for Nature-India is a charitable trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act of 1950 and ranks as the largest conservation non-government organisation in the country.

It seeks to promote conservation of nature and environment largely through a community-based approach.

Canadian high commissioner Peter Walker will launch the two projects today by exchanging documents with trust representatives.