Magsaysay winner Rajendra Singh today said that development should be in sync with the nature.
Addressing on the first day of the two-day seminar on Environment and Development in Eastern India (Status, Issues and Challenges), Singh said that development brings 'displacement' and 'destruction' with it and that following the West blindly in development, caused difficulties.
He cited an example on how between Independence and 2015/16 there has been eight-fold increase in drought and flood situations.
To protect from such difficulties, it was necessary to move forward with development, keeping balance with the nature, Singh felt.
Describing the eastern India as 'green zone', Singh called upon for protecting it since otherwise environment imbalance could strike.
Sharing his work on water conservation, Singh cited an example how in Rajasthan 2.5 lakh wells got re-charged with rain water protection.
'Padma Bhusan' awardee Madhav Gadgil cited example as to how gram sabhas' intervention in illegal mining had brought ban by the judiciary in Goa.
On behalf of 'Yugantar Bharati', which has organised this seminar, Jharkhand Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Roy said that environment protection should be made a people's movement.
Jharkhand's Development Commissioner Amit Khare said that development was possible along with protection of environment, but coordination was necessary among researchers, protection institutions and the executive.
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