It is tragic that the Central Government has put about 50 per cent of the environmental issues on the backburner at a time when biodiversity, traditional knowledge and their theft have become major economic, political and civilisational issues. Talking to the media on the sidelines of her book launch, noted activist and author Dr Vandana Shiva said, “We had hoped that with the BJP coming to power at the Centre, we would see work being done towards development of a nation as described by Rabindranath Tagore as Aranya Sanskriti (forest based civilisation) but we have not even heard this term being used by the Government. Biodiversity is a very serious issue as it sustains life, livelihoods and protects the environment while it is the forests that ensure a secure future.”
On being asked about her opinion on the Namami Gange project, she said that she had respect for Union minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti’s dedication to the Ganga and the Himalayas. “I hope she will bring integrity into Namami Gange. However, we need to understand contamination of the Ganga and inculcate the sense diversity in our minds. We have the wrong sanitation model. Whereas sewage can be used to make manure and generate power it is being dumped to contaminate the river. Society and our culture need to come forward to resolve such anomalies,” she said. Regarding the action taken against Greenpeace India by the Central Government, she said that though the case was in High Court presently, the action against the NGO was unfortunate at a time when thousands of organisations are needed to save environment of the world, added Shiva.