Dehradunl: “Our culture teaches us to respect mother earth, water, air and the environment as a whole,” said Dr Vijay Dhasmana, Past Chairman of CII Uttarakhand State Council and President of SRHU, while speaking at the CII UCOST 14th Environment Summit held on the occasion of Harela Festival. He congratulated the State Government for Uttarakhand securing the top position in the NITI Aayog SDG Index.
Dr Dhasmana further highlighted several replicable initiatives undertaken by SRHU, including water harvesting, rooftop solar installations, energy-saving generators, and green harvesting sewage treatment plants (STPs). He shared that these initiatives not only yield financial benefits but also contribute significantly to environmental conservation.
“Our goal is to create a sustainable business ecosystem in Uttarakhand,” said Kanishk Jain, Chairman of CII Uttarakhand State Council and Executive Director of Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Ltd. He shared that the CII Uttarakhand Panel on Sustainability and Environment focuses on energy efficiency, waste management, and renewable energy. The panel collaborates with local industries to develop sustainable strategies that reduce carbon footprints and environmental impact, thereby fostering economic growth through eco-friendly practices.
Vipul Arora, Plant Manager at ITC Limited’s Packaging and Printing Unit in Haridwar, emphasised the importance of individual climate action. “If you want to change the world, start with yourself. Responsible individual climate action is the key to safeguarding our collective future,” he said. Arora also noted ITC’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, being carbon positive for 19 years, water positive for 22 years, and solid waste recycling positive for 17 years.
The first session focussed on sustainable practices in products, packaging, and other initiatives for a greener future, and was moderated by Dr Anil Subba Rao Paila, Vice-Chancellor of IMS Unison University. Key speakers included Dr Kalachand Sain, Director of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology; Praveen Kumar, EHS Head at ITC Limited, Haridwar; Dr Sanat Kumar, Chief Scientist at CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum; and Shyamal Chatterjee, Plant Manager at Tupperware India Pvt Ltd.
The second session, titled “Towards a Water-Neutral Uttarakhand – Aligning Strategies”, was moderated by Kanishk Jain and featured speakers such as Prashant Kumar Rai, Regional Director for Uttarakhand at the Central Ground Water Board; Prof Brijesh Kumar Yadav, Head of the Department of Hydrology at IIT Roorkee; Nitin Bassi, Senior Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW); and Amrendra Singh, DGM and Lead Sustainability at Tata Motors, Pantnagar.
A session on combating forest fires was moderated by CA Harshit Gupta, Co-Convener of the CII Uttarakhand Panel on MSME & Economic Development. Speakers included Meera Iyer, Joint Director (FGD) at the Forest Survey of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and Dr Arijit Roy, Scientist SG & Head of the Disaster Management Science Department at the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS).
In the lead-up to the summit, poster competitions for school children were organised from 1 to 7 June in celebration of World Environment Day, along with a tree plantation drive. Winners of the poster-making competition were felicitated during the summit.
The summit was attended by over 100 delegates from various industries, institutions, academia, NGOs, environmental experts and students, with a total of 18 experts addressing the attendees.
