In a unique inititiative in the wake of Uttarakhand calamity, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Friday announced the use of Gross Environment Product (GEP) along with the state's GDP as a vital parameter of growth index.
The move will ensure due emphasis by various departments and agencies in the hill state on glaciers, forests, rivers and air and soil preservation, Bahuguna said.
"I believe it is important to strike a balance between development and ecological conservation. "We are the first state to introduce this concept. This will be a parameter to which all state departments and agencies will have to adhere strictly," he said.
The state will have a nodal authority under Ministry of Environment which will take necessary assistance and guidance from institutes such as Forest Research Institute, Central Soil and Water Conversation Research and Training Institute and others in implementing the initiative, he said.
Uttarakhand is the first state to take this significant step towards ecological and environment preservation, he claimed.
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