Care of mother earth and development should go hand in hand, Union Minister of Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar said here on Friday.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP State headquarters here, Mr. Javadekar said that the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre was committed to development without destruction.
Stating that many industrial projects had been kept pending during the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre, Mr. Javadekar said that many Chief Ministers had already approached the Centre for clearance of their projects.
Informing that Odisha government had not approached the Centre for clearance of any project so far, Mr. Javadekar said their government was committed to the development of Odisha and its people and will take necessary steps.
Reiterating what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said at many public meetings before the elections, Mr. Javadekar said that eastern India should be developed like the western parts of the country.
Informing that the Centre had started reviewing projects to be implemented in different States, Mr. Javadekar said that the projects in Odisha will be reviewed within this month.
Mr. Javadekar further said that Odisha was among the States that were not able to utilise the funds coming from the Centre under various schemes. The different Departments of the Central government will continue to have schemes for Odisha, he added. Responding to a query about displacement of people in south Odisha due to submergence by the Polavaram irrigation project coming up in neighbouring Seemandhra, the Union Minister said that no project would be implemented without actual rehabilitation of the people in advance.
In response to a query about the growing opposition to the move to hand over the Khandadhar iron ore reserve to POSCO, Mr. Javadekar said that the Centre will hold talks with the stakeholders before taking any final decision on the issue.
Interestingly, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram has been opposing the proposal to grant mining lease to POSCO for the Khandadhar mines since long.
