Forum of Environmental Journalists (APFEJ) welcomes the idea of having a separate ministry for Himalayan affairs in India’s Union government. The regional journalist forum, head-quartered in Bangladesh’s capital city Dhaka, expresses hope that Narendra Modi government in New Delhi would thus pave the way for some scientific modalities to deal with the environment and ecological issues relating to many Asian nations.
By Nava J. Thakuria
Media reports suggest that the Bharatiya Janata Party led Modi government is contemplating the creation of a separate ministry to look into various developmental issues of the entire Himalayas. The ministry is expected to address primarily the security concerns, trade opportunities and some burning environmental issues originated in the mountain ranges of the mighty Himalayas.
“The Himalayas are the world’s youngest mountain range that houses the planet’s highest Mount Everest peak. It includes hundred of mountains with many other high altitude peaks some of which are sacred for Buddhists and Hindus. It sources three major rivers in the globe, namely the Indus, the Ganges and the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra which feed over 600 million habitants in different valleys,” said Quamrul Chowdhury, chairman of APFEJ.
Terming the Himalayan glaciers as a huge fresh water source, the APFEJ statement argues that the judicious use of these resources can bring huge opportunities for millions of people in the developing region.
It may be mentioned that Prime Minister Modi and BJP maintained their focus on Himalayas since the early days of poll campaigning. The party’s poll manifestos clearly indicated that it would work out plans for utilizing abundant resources of Himalayas ranging from tourism, power, trades to ecology.
The APFEJ statement, issued from Dhaka today, further said that India’s ministry on Himalayan affairs would generate new ideas for the policy makers of other nations like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tibet (China), Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Bangladesh etc. It also expresses optimism that different regional forums including SAARC would also come out with specific policies to deal with numerous concerns related to the great Himalayas.
