Guwahati

Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey reviews progress of various projects in Assam

Sentinel Digital Desk

GUWAHATI: Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey held a meeting with the Environment & Forest Secretary, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and senior officials of the Forest department here on Saturday. He also had a meeting with the Officials of CAF&PD, Food Secretary, ED FCI State Government, CWC DIS and other officials.

On the first day of his seven-day tour of the north-eastern region, Choubey reviewed the status of progress of implementation of the projects in Assam. During the meeting with the department's Officials, the Union Minister said that although the State was developing, the pace of development has rapidly increased in the recent months and it has become evident now. He appreciated the Assam Government for showing excellence in its performances across the sectors.

To accelerate the progress in the State, he suggested participation of the public in the events related to the environment. "I believe if we can celebrate the important occasions with the public, it will help in promoting the work that is being done by the department," said Minister Choubey.

He suggested that children should be facilitated with visits to National Parks so that they get to learn about their environment. "The younger generation will be able to grasp knowledge about the environment if they get to visit the Parks at least twice every year," he suggested.

He further added that if Assam does some great work in this field, the entire nation will be motivated. "I believe on occasions like the 'Tiger Day', 'Elephant Day', 'Environment Day', etc. should be celebrated with the public and not limited to the offices. This will give ample scope to promote the good work. The public will learn about the work that has been done," added the Minister.

He opined that innovative ideas should be shared to be adopted and improvised to fasten the progress in the State. He hailed the work of the Assam State Government and said that the progress looked better. "The Northeast is of utmost importance for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and under his leadership, we are working in coordination for development in the NE States," said Choubey.

He informed that earlier Assam had 5,246 elephants and the number increased to 5,719. The number of tigers also rose to 190 from 70. He especially lauded the efforts of the State Government for protecting the rhinos. He further said that the population of rhinos has increased considerably over the years.

Choubey said that new steps are underway to protect the wildlife in Assam. The Minister will be visiting Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh to review the progress in these States. (PIB)

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