Reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, re-design and re-manufacture part of India’s cultural ethos: PM Modi
Synopsis
PM Modi at TERI’s World Sustainable Development Summit said it is not the planet that is fragile but the commitments to the planet, to nature, have been fragile.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday delivered the inaugural address at The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) World Sustainable Development Summit via video conference and said environment and sustainable development have been key focus areas for me all through my 20 years in office, first in Gujarat and now at the national level.
He said that it is not the planet that is fragile but the commitments to the planet, to nature, have been fragile. He pointed out that very little has been done despite a lot of talk over the last 50 years, since the 1972 Stockholm Conference. But in India, the Prime Minister said, we have walked the talk.
“Reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, re-design and re-manufacture have been part of India’s cultural ethos,” PM Modi said.
“Equitable energy access to the poor has been a cornerstone of our environmental policy”, he said. Steps like 90 million households getting access to clean cooking fuel under Ujjwala Yojana and renewable energy to farmers Under the PM-KUSUM scheme where farmers are being encouraged to set up solar panels, use it and sell surplus power to the grid will promote sustainability and equity.
The Prime Minister stressed that environmental sustainability can only be achieved through climate justice. He said that energy requirements of the people of India are expected to nearly double in the next twenty years. “Denying this energy would be denying life itself to millions. Successful climate actions also need adequate financing. For this, developed countries need to fulfill their commitments on finance and technology transfer”, he emphasized.
President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Deputy Secretary General, United Nations Amina J Mohammed and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav were among those present on the occasion.
