Spare a thought for natural resources: CM’s appeal on curbing fuel, water wastage
He also gave credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "visionary" action in the area of climate change during his tenure as the Gujarat Chief Minister and after.
4 min read
CM Bhupendra Patel at the event hailed PM Narendra Modi’s “visionary” action in area of climate change. Express Spare a thought for natural resources before wasting electricity, water, and petrol – this was the message by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel for the people of the state on Thursday. Gujarat has increased its forest cover in the last four years due to concerted efforts, the Chief Minister highlighted as he spoke at the 74th Van Mahotsav at Jepur in the Panchmahal district.
He also gave credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “visionary” action in the area of climate change during his tenure as the Gujarat Chief Minister and after. “When it rains in one district of a place at one time, a huge volume (of water) creates problems. The cause is global warming. These are the effects of climate change. This issue is not just restricted to the state or our country alone.. it is a global issue and so our visionary leader, Narendrabhai (Modi) is leading from the front… It was in Gujarat that the first climate change department was started by Modiji (when he was the CM),” Bhupendra Patel said.
At the event where Minister of Tourism, Cultural Activities, Forest & Environment, and Climate Change Mulu Bera stated that Gujarat’s forest cover has increased from 14,879 sq km in 2019 to 14,926 sq km in 2023, Patel added, “Gujarat has increased forest cover and is committed to afforestation. Modi’s visionary leadership is the inspiration behind this. He also launched ‘Mission LiFE’, which is about balancing the needs of everyday life and nurturing the environment. Adopting such practices will make us reliant on a sustainable life.”
Patel said the mindless use of non-renewable resources can be curbed by sparing a thought for the source. “If we think about how electricity is produced, before wasting electricity… we will know what we are consuming. If we remember that electricity is made of coal and coal comes from wood… it will finish one day. Today, solar panels are a gift from Modiji and if you have a solar panel, you will have electricity. There has been a growing awareness about saving resources. Wherever you find a place, plant a tree… even in cities, people are trying to increase the green cover.” PM Modi’s emphasis on natural farming has been a way to “make soil and life healthy” for people, he said, and added, “In earlier years, we used to undergo tests for diseases and illnesses at the age of 50 or above. Today, we are seeing such diseases in youngsters; people at the age of 40 are developing cancer, heart attack, diabetes, and blood pressure. Younger people are dying. Modiji has turned us towards natural farming to tackle this. If we want to improve the health of our soil, our food, and our body… this is the way forward. We will be able to concentrate on our businesses and progress. The afforestation we are undertaking will help us but it will also propagate the ecological balance by bringing birds and animals.”
At the event, Patel released a book of the Forest Department on the recently conducted leopard census, inaugurated the crocodile rescue centre as well as the Jepur forest cluster spread across an area of 1.1 hectares, nurtured by the Godhra Social Forestry primarily with indigenous trees such as banyan, mango, kachnar (bauhinia variegata) and Palash.
The area also has unique gazebos standing on eight pillars built from engraved sandstone, officials said. The Chief Minister also virtually laid the foundation stone for the upcoming Harsiddhi forest cover near the temple of Goddess Harsiddhi in Kalyanpur in Devbhumi Dwarka.
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