The government of Punjab today signed an MoU with spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's 'Isha Foundation' to increase the green cover of the state.
Vasudev was in the city to address a public event as his 'Rally for Rivers' initiative reached Chandigarh today.
The spiritual leader hailed the MoU as a significant step to save the rivers in the leading agrarian state.
Cautioning about the fast depleting rivers, Vasudev said sustainable development was the only way forward for India.
"We have come to a point where we have to think of sustainability, otherwise both our development and our survival will be threatened," the Sadhguru said.
"These are not alarmist-activist talk; there is proper science to it. I am not a scientist nor an environmentalist, but I have a keen sense of seeing things (noticing how rivers are slowly drying up)," he said.
The "Rally for Rivers" campaign hit the road after it was flagged off by Union environment minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on September 3 from Coimbatore.
The campaign, after covering 16 states and 23 events in major cities and traversing over 8,000 km will culminate in Delhi on October 2 with the submission of a draft policy for conservation of rivers. One of the recommendations is to create a kilometre-wide tree-cover on riversides.
"We are working towards a policy so that nation remains focused on a sustainable way of managing this," the Sadguru said.
Punjab governor V P Singh Badnore, Haryana governor Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki, Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar, and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher were among those who attended the event.
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