Legislators of the 11 mountain states of India will come under one banner to look into multiple issues related to the mountains and the people living there, it was decided on Friday.
"It is resolved by all elected members from many Indian mountain states that they would come under the banner of GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment)-IMI (Integrated Mountain Initiative) Pan Himalayan Legislators' Forum," a resolution adopted at the conclusion of the fourth Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS-IV), stated.
"This effort will be facilitated by GLOBE India in collaboration with IMI. This effort will be directed towards addressing the environment-related policies and legislations needed to address the growing concerns," it stated.
Sponsored by GLOBE India and IMI, this year's edition was hosted by the Sustainable Development Forum Arunachal Pradesh (SDFA) in the northeastern state's capital.
Stakeholders across multiple sectors, in the resolution, also decided that GLOBE India along with its partners would explore collaborations with ecologically similar nations like Nepal and Bhutan.
Their thoughts and inputs will find resonance in some of the inputs that GLOBE India will would present to the union environment ministry and the parliament.
"In this process, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would also be involved," the resolution stated.
According to the resolution, at least 41 districts across 11 mountain states in the country will have disaster management plans in place within a year.
"It is resolved that the districts will be identified in a fast-tracked manner and a disaster management plan will be formulated for each of the districts within the next one year," it stated.
Legislators of the mountain states also decided to raise the issue of forming a separate building code for mountains at different forums, including the state legislative assemblies and the parliament.
According to the resolution, "a team will be constituted to look into international climate finance that would identify sources of finance available for implementing innovative projects related to climate change adaptation and mitigation in the mountain states".
A knowledge sharing network will be created and identified for legislators of mountain states to discuss issues of climate change.
Earlier, addressing the media, R.S. Tolia, president of IMI and former chief secretary of Uttarakhand, explained that IMI was a pan India initiative started by civil society in 2010.
"IMI was registered as z society in March 2014 and its aim is to make the people of India view the mountains positively," he said, adding that the IMI now has several state chapters.
This year's SMDS was preceded by ones in Nainital (2011), Gangtok (2012) and Kohima (2013).
The mountain states comprise Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalya, Mizoram , Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura (northeastern states), Jammu and Kashmir , Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
(Aroonim Bhuyan can be contacted at aroonim.b@ians.in)
