India Inc must work to save ecology

It was heartening to see how India Inc raised its voice in horror when it heard of the assault on Indian tigers in the wild… Hemendra Kothari and his group of industrialists and corporates have finally joined NGOs in raising issues that governments have exploited and mismanaged over the years. For any true conservation, protection and growth, the private sector has to participate and make demands on an unchanging, archaic and regulatory government, that has not been able to deliver the goods and has in fact destroyed the legacy it was entrusted with. The babu is desperately holding on to his authority, an authority that stands corrupted and corroded, with selfish vested interests dominating every action, be these political or commercial.

It is believed that what motivates the present ministry of environment and forest, led by babus who represent the commercial lobbies in India, who would like to grab whatever little remains of the wilderness areas, only to exploit the minerals, stone, timber, water, et al., is to denotify vast areas as quickly and silently as possible. Horror realities of bureaucrats willing to sign away land area in the Sunderbans, for example, to build townships under rather ambiguous and uneasy schemes, is scary. Fortunately, the project was rejected by a rare, sophisticated and intelligent babu, who was shunted out.

India Inc must now take the next step and make definite demands on the Prime Minister and his government to commit to upholding the laws that exist to protect the environment without any tampering. They must compel the government to make the babu accountable. They must enter the pages of Indian and world media, talking about these critical issues that have, hitherto, been in the NGO realm and, therefore, scoffed at by the babu. They must intervene to make sure the bureaucrat and the politician with vested interests do not work to convince the leadership in this country that the uproar on the contravening of laws in this area is an over-reaction, led by those working

outside of government. Babudom?s game of misleading one and all must be exposed. And who better to do it, and with credibility, than India Inc?

Every nation in the world has recognised and endorsed the utmost importance of the environment and the crying need for its protection. The Indian administration has not. It has let the country down in this sphere.

Another let-down. Every nation in the world has recognised the urgent need to bring creative industries and communities into mainstream development. The Indian administration continues to look at this unorganised sector of economic activity with scorn. Unesco has begun to collect all possible data in this sector and has committed to strengthening it. India, despite being saturated with these skills and professionals and virtually the world leader in this area, has administrators of policy who, once again, look down on this sector.

Environment and skills, remain non-priority areas for the Government of India. Tourism and culture are non-priority departments as well. We are going to be left behind as the world radically shifts out of the existing paradigm and enters a realm that we, in the developing world, comprehend instinctively, but continue to reject. Ironically, non-priority areas in India are priority areas across the globe. We shall miss the boat again while we try and ape what the developed world has already put on the back-burner. If we have to restructure the economy intelligently, we must absorb and use our greatest and unique strengths and eject ourselves out of the baggage of yore.

The UPA is well placed to crack the existing paradigm and set a fresh agenda and mandate for change. Change of the mind-set of government. The metamorphosis in thinking that is happening across the world is reflected in the UPA?s common minimum programme. Only the language and idiom is different. It is time for us to grab the moment and lead at all international fora. An ?activist? India Inc can influence and help overhaul the policy. And private, public and people partnership can bring in the new structures imperative for the sustenance of this new strategy for development, one that will encompass the people and their skills, without damaging the myriad fabrics of India.