Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Monday said that there is a need to evolve environmental regulations and norms so that economy and ecology go hand-in-hand.
Addressing a gathering at the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 51st foundation day, the minister said that collaboration with IITs, reputed academic institutes and leading research bodies is required for development of new technologies and expanding environmental laboratories in the country.
“We need to come out with new low-polluting alternatives and cleaner technologies for strengthening Make-In-India, along with ensuring wider availability of these technologies,” he added.
Underlining the importance of capacity building, Yadav stated that CPCB has a major role to play in capacity building of State Boards and agencies. CPCB should be the umbrella organisation for capacity building in environmental matters of the country, and should become a mentor.
During the event, he also laid the foundation stone of CPCB’s new building and two new laboratories at CPCB’s Regional Directorates in Pune and Shillong were inaugurated.
These facilities are equipped to monitor up to 70 and 62 environmental parameters respectively, and would respectively serve Maharashtra and the North-Eastern States of Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim.
The updated SAMEER App was also launched, featuring a user-friendly interface, personalized alerts, location-based services, and improved citizen engagement. The Minister also distributed offer letters to 13 new recruits to various posts during the occasion as part of CPCB’s efforts to strengthen its workforce.
