New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated a two-day National Conference on Environment at Vigyan Bhavan on Saturday, which focuses on environmental challenges, including river and air pollution, and climate justice. Inaugurating the conference organised by National Green Tribunal, the President expressed concerns about environmental damage.
Murmu said, “Elders in every family worry about which school or college their children will study in, and what career they will choose. This worry is justified. But we all also have to think about what kind of air our children will breathe, what kind of water they will get to drink, whether they will be able to hear the sweet sounds of birds or not, whether they will be able to experience the beauty of lush green forests or not.”
She emphasised, “It’s our moral responsibility to provide a legacy of a clean environment to the coming generations, for which we must adopt an environmentally conscious and sensitive lifestyle.”
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, Supreme Court judge Justice Vikram Nath, Attorney General R Venkataramani and NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava were present at the conference. Venkataramani emphasised that human behaviour should go beyond mere profit-making, aiming instead at ensuring a better quality of life for future generations. Two technical sessions also took place. The first one on air quality monitoring and management was chaired by Justice Joymalya Bagchi, an SC judge, who stressed the need to balance development with environmental sustainability.
The second session on water quality and river rejuvenation was presided over by Justice Pratibha M Singh, a Delhi High Court judge.
