Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan chaired a meeting with officials of relevant departments regarding carbon credits at the Secretariat on Monday. The Chief Secretary emphasized that carbon credits could play a significant role as a new source of income for the state. He reviewed the efforts being made by various departments in this direction.
Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan
The Chief Secretary directed that the Environment Department will serve as the nodal agency for carbon credits in the state. He highlighted that carbon credits are particularly crucial for a hilly state like Uttarakhand, where a significant portion of the land is covered by forests. Carbon credits not only aid in environmental conservation but also create new opportunities for economic and social development. Farmers and local communities in Uttarakhand can earn carbon credits and generate additional income by selling them in national and international markets.
The Chief Secretary stated that the Forest, Agriculture, and Cooperation Departments hold immense potential for carbon credit initiatives. He instructed the Cooperation Department to involve Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) under its purview in carbon credit activities. He also urged the Forest Department to expedite efforts towards carbon credits and green credits. Additionally, he directed the Agriculture and Dairy Development Departments to work on carbon credit initiatives. These efforts will promote biodiversity conservation through community participation, encourage sustainable lifestyles, and provide employment opportunities for youth in hilly areas while offering farmers an additional source of income.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Dr. B.V.R.C. Purushottam, Vinod Kumar Suman, C. Ravishankar, Sridhar Babu Addanki, Additional Secretaries Vineet Kumar and Shri Himanshu Khurana, along with representatives from NABARD and other senior officials.
