Balance economic development goals with environmental sustainability: Prof Ghuman
Patiala, May 31
The department of public administration and the internal quality assurance cell of Government Mohindra College, Patiala, in collaboration with Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) organised a series of academic events to celebrate World Environment Day 2022. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has declared to celebrate this year’s environment day under the campaign slogan of “Only One Earth” with a focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”. The events— slogan writing, poster making, awareness rally by students and seminar— were based on the campaign slogan and the focus area. The celebrations took place under the patronage of Principal Simrat Kaur and environmental engineer Navtesh Singla of the PPCB.
The poster making and slogan writing competitions were held to make the students aware about the environmental concerns in which hundreds of students participated. Meanwhile, an awareness rally was organised by the students in the city in which the students sensitised citizens about environmental challenges. The rally was followed by a half-day seminar on “Challenges to Environmental Sustainability in Punjab: A Way Forward”. Guru Nanak Dev University’s Prof of Eminence RS Ghuman delivered the keynote address.
While introducing the theme of the seminar, Dr Mohammad Sohail, head, department of public administration, dwelled upon the history of policy efforts by the national and internal organisations such as UN, OECD to make human-environment interface more cordial.
During the keynote address, Prof Ghuman opined that developmental targets and environmental health were not antagonistic to each other and the policy makers must develop complimentary relation between the two. Prof Ghuman at length deliberated on issues of environmental sustainability in Punjab and its negative effects on natural resources such as water, air and soil. He further expressed that the agriculture had been hit hard by the climate change in the recent times.
Dr Simrat Kaur, Principal, Government Mohindra College, Patiala, congratulated the department of public administration and Pollution Control Board for organising events to mark the World Environment Day.
