NCC, GB Pant Instt Sign Memo on Himalayan Environment Protection

New Delhi, July 25 (UNI) The National Cadet Corps and the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED) today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) envisaging environment protection and development of the Himalayan region.

The memorandum was signed here on behalf of NCC by its DG Lt Gen M C Bhandari and on behalf of GBPIHAD by its Director Dr V Upendra Dhar.

This joint venture has been named Op-Parade (Participatory Action for Rural Areas Environment and Development) and, to implement it, the Institute has developed a Village Environment Action Plan which envisages devising simple and cost effective solution to the problem.

The main objectives of this plan include ensuring sufficient and sustainable availability of sources of water; making water available in scarcity areas and conserving and managing natural resources.

The MoA also envisages increasing productivity through land reform programmes, keeping the village environment free from pollution and other hazards, and enhancing employment opportunities as well as standards of cleanliness and health in rural areas.

The NCC will provide the trained workforce (Cadets and other officials) and GBPIHED will provide technical knowhow and training facilities for the programme. The trained manpower of NCC will in turn organise awareness/training camps for villagers in selected villages.

This joint programme was started on February 23 last year at Rialkot village, located 10 kms from Almora, as a pilot project.

After going through the positive results of this project, the NCC and GBPIHED decided to sign this MoA.

The overall plan under this project is to initially cover the target area of Kumaon region in Uttaranchal. Subsequently, it will be expanded to cover other areas of the Indian Himalayan Region, especially through the collaboration of regional units of the institute -- namely the North-East unit, Itanagar; Sikkim unit, Pangthang; HP unit, Kulu and Garhwal unit, Srinagar and respective regional offices of NCC.

UNI DG AK RAI2006