`India to have proactive role in global events on environment`

New Delhi: India would have a proactive role in the international events related to environment in the days to come, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said. He said this during discussions with a US delegation comprising Nisha Biswal, Assistant Secretary (India Policy Head), and Kathleen Stephens, Ambassador Designate of the US in India.

The Indian side was represented by secretaries in the ministries of Environment, Forests & Climate Change and Information and Broadcasting.
Javadekar said the Environment Ministry would remain committed to keep sustainability at the core of the planning process while putting the country on a high growth path.
The environmental conservation can go hand in hand with development, he said. To achieve this, environment and forest clearance systems would be made more predictable, transparent and time-bound, he said.
According to an official release, the minister gave an overview of the policy framework and other initiatives of the ministry during the deliberations.
A special reference was made to the key policy highlights outlined in the Presidential address to a joint sitting of Parliament today, the release said.
Javadekar touched upon the issues related to the development framework and stated that an effective system would be in place which would enable sound appraisal processes of environmental clearance proposals, it said.
He added that the cleaner fuels would be promoted to bring down pollution levels in Indian cities.
Clean water, clean air and solid waste management would be the priority areas of the ministry and efforts would be made to increase the energy efficiency while concentrating on the reduction of green house gas emissions, he said.
Javadekar also threw light on changing the nomenclature of the Ministry to "Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change".
He said the change was a deep thought initiative taking into account the contemporary trends related to issues pertaining to climate change.