No NE states except Assam prepares draft for state action plan on climate change
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 25 2011:
Somio Dutta, national coordinator of a Delhi based NGO Bharat Jana Vigyan Jatha sharing his observation on the side line of the Centre for Social Development (CSD) and North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF) sponsored two day consultation workshop here said none of the north east states except Assam prepares the draft for the state action plan on climate change.
Nagaland has also been preparing while Manipur is in the process of drafting its action plan on climate change.
The coordinator however said, Assam's action plan draft was made after having three consultations at the University level.
So far eight Indian states - Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and Uttarakhand have finalized their respective drafts for the state action plan on climate change.
"Most of the climate change action plan mission of the country was framed largely with inputs from foreign agencies", he claimed and warned the masses to care for such designs while recommending or drafting the state action plan.
The Convener of Climate group of beyond Copenhagen coalition appreciated Manipur authority's move to organize public hearing at all the districts prior to the drafting of the state action plan.
He also expressed the need to recognise the climate change impact studies very seriously.
The state environment and ecology wing, the nodal agency for the state action plan on climate change action have been organizing public hearing across the state in connection with the drafting of the action plan.
The consultation however recommended to prepare the state action plan with due participation of the people and with due recognition of their inherent rights.
It also recommended that the climate action plan should promote human rights based environment friendly solutions and should ensure full scale respect of community's rights over their land and resources, especially their right to determine their development priorities towards protecting their land, resources and future.
It also urged the state authority to refrain from development processes that will impact on survival, livelihood and destruction of the ecosystem of Manipur, besides according equal emphasis on both mitigation and adaptation efforts and strategies.
It said the state action plan should recognize the traditional role and practices of indigenous peoples both in mitigation and adaptation strategies in combating climate crisis.
The gathering also recommended to implement certain missions like agriculture, water, forest, green Manipur and energy mission under the state action plan should not lead to any form of impact to the local populace.
It also urged not to put the state forest area under Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) besides preventing the move to privatize the water bodies of the region.