The Government has underlined the need for an interface on the real problems of the Himalayan region, as it will help in proper planning. Chairing the Third Meeting with MPs from the Himalayan region here last evening, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Anil Madhav Dave, said that man, wild animals and forests have been living in harmonious co-existence. The Environment Minister pointed out that no Scheduled Tribe has ever posed a threat to the forests. He emphasised that Himalayas must be seen as a single whole and not in different parts. “Himalayan range is one of the areas that has been suffering the ill-effects of pollution the most”, Shri Dave said. Some of the issues discussed at the meeting included - the possibility of disaster risk reduction, climate change impact, retreat of Himalayan glaciers, forest fires and the need to reduce out migration.
Members of Parliament raised the issue of diversity and extreme sensitivity of Himalayas. Among the Members of Parliament who attended the meeting were - Shri Ajay Tamta, Shri Shanta Kumar, Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Shri Neiphu Rio, Earlier, two meetings with Himalayan Parliamentarians have been held. The First Meet was held on September 10, 2015, at the G.B Pant National Institute of Himalayan, Environment and Sustainable Development (GBPNIHESD) Institute, Kosi-Katarmal, Almora in Uttarakhand. The meeting discussed the need to bring in a ‘Mountain Perspective’ in national policies and plans. It also emphasised the need to find long-term, research-based solutions to the issues specific to the region. The Second Meeting was held in the Ministry on December 15, 2015. It stressed the need for collective advocacy at national level and bringing mountain states to the forefront of Sustainable Development Agenda in the country.