By Y.S. Rana, Shimla, April 20 : Himachal Pradesh has, since the mid-1990s, grown marginally faster than the rest of the country and has the second lowest poverty headcount ratio in India of 11.6 per cent. It is one of the India’s leading states in terms of human development and has some of the best indicators in terms of gender equality and access to health services.
The state is not only heading towards becoming the first carbon neutral state of the country but also its initiative of sustainable plastic waste management in the state has paid dividend. The State has been selected for the Prime Minister Award 2009-10 for excellence in Public Administration under Organization Category for its initiative- Sustainable Plastic Waste Management. It was disclosed by Mr Ramesh C Misra, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India.
Receiving the news in Shimla, Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister has lauded the efforts of the Department and people of Himachal Pradesh, other departments, traders, NGOs, Mahila Mandals, Panchayats, Urban Local Bodies, Industries Associations, Hotel Association etc. who made the endeavor ‘Polythene Hatao- Paryavaran Bachao’ campaign a success. He said that encouraged by this achievement, the State worked hard to sustain efforts and make Himachal Pradesh cleaner, greener and healthier place to live.
He said that complete ban on the use of plastic, polythene bags and related materials had been imposed in the State to protect the environment of the State. He further said that apart from this, Government was committed to make Himachal Pradesh a greener tourist destination and had made sustainable efforts in environment protection. He said that State Government had also created H.P. Environ Fund and decision had been taken to provide grants/ incentives to villages pro-active for environment protection. He said that eco monitoring and environ auditing schemes had also been launched in the State for preservation of environment.
The Award will be presented on Civil Services Day, April 21 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi by the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Sarojini Ganju Thakur, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Science and Technology will receive the award.