Friday, 10 February 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has said that a massive awareness campaign should be launched to create awareness about carbon credit in the general public. He said that the people should understand that planting trees such as Peepal (Ficus) and Banyan on a large scale would help in protecting the environment and earning money by means of carbon credit. He was speaking as the chief guest at the one day seminar ‘Uttarakhand Himalaya: challenges and solutions in the paradigm of changing climate’ at Dr Nityanand Himalayan Research and Study Centre, Doon university on Thursday. The seminar was organised by the department of Geology and Geography of the university to commemorate the 97th birth anniversary of Dr Nityanand.
Rawat said that apart from being an excellent absorbent of carbon, the Peepal tree aids in the economy of the country by providing employment to large numbers of people under it. “There is a very strong ‘Peepal economics’ and we should preserve it,’’ he said.
He said that the Joshimath disaster has shown the need to be sensitive to the issues of the Himalaya. Terming Dr Nityanand as a Himalayan Rishi, the former CM said that apart from being a renowned academician, researcher and teacher he was a great human being. Rawat said that Dr Nityanand dedicated his entire life for the people of Uttarakhand and after the Uttarkashi earthquake spent his savings and pension for providing relief to the affected people and spreading education in the upper Ganga and Yamuna valleys.
In her welcome address, the university vice chancellor Surekha Dangwal said the Himalaya need love, respect and constant nourishment and Dr Nityanand understood this fact. His book ‘Holy Himalayas’ is a widely acclaimed and a well researched document. She said that the Dr Nityanand centre in Doon university is a tribute to his works and vision. Dangwal said that the centre which is in its infancy now would soon emerge as an eminent centre on research on Himalaya. She suggested that the State’s Disaster Management department can make use of the infrastructure of this centre to set up its laboratory with advanced equipment. The VC added that four year BA and BSc honours courses in geography and geology would start in the centre from the upcoming academic session. She said that the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 is a student centric policy. Noted academician DD Chauniyal presented a detailed account of the life and works of Dr Nityanand.
In the plenary session of the seminar geographer Kaushal Kishore Sharma of CSRD, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), professor YP Sundriyal of Department of geology, HNB Garhwal University and senior scientist at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology Vikram Gupta threw light on different aspects of Himalayas.
The Doiwala MLA Brij Bhushan Gairola, faculty members and a large number of students of different educational institutes were also present on the occasion.
