NEW DELHI: Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) under NDA’s rule has turned into a facilitating ministry for sustainable development from being a roadblock ministry under UPA regime.
“The MoEF which was till now considered to be a speed-breaker or roadblock ministry, would now be a facilitating ministry for sustainable development. The ministry was known for licence-quota Raj, we will change that into a ministry with people’s participation,” Javadekar told at the launch of the ministry’s e-book ‘Development without Destruction’. He said that the ministry would work as a facilitator in pursuing the goal of sustainable development by bringing in transparency, removing bottlenecks and encouraging people’s participation.
Outlining the vision for the ministry in 2015, he said sustainable development without destruction; green growth and poverty eradication are the principles that would guide the initiatives and policies of the ministry.
Stressing that people’s participation was important to development, he said that the ministry plans to initiate several public campaigns for turning degraded lands into urban greens, making the environment plastic bag-free and restoration of lakes and rivers.