‘Simplify complex issues’
One of the major roles for civil institutions is to simplify issues to ensure it reaches a wider audience, according to Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, B M S Rathore.
At a panel discussion on ‘Civil Society Institutions and Environmental Governance’ held on Wednesday, Rathore said taking informed decisions were essential for such institutions and for this, the complex nature of several issues had to be demystified for the larger audience.
Journalist Kalpana Sharma opined that a link to understanding a situation to the eventual change of policy was most important, as this link would serve to convey the ideas across. She felt that the time at present was ripe to voice concerns about several projects pursued by the Government which were not necessarily good for the people, since the Environment Minister was open to hearing differing views.
Ganesan Balchander, member of Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) cautioned about the macro-level decisions that would affect the country in the coming years with an expanding population in South Asian countries. The need to feed the people had already made people resort to transgenics and genetically modified foods. The unintended consequences of a burgeoning population in terms of development was something people had to face, he said. The discussion was organised by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), an environmental and conservation organisation.
