Delhi govt inducts new batch of junior environmental engineers

New Delhi: The Delhi government has inducted a new batch of Environmental Engineers and Green Delhi Fellows who will assist the Environment Department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

The 30 Junior Environmental Engineers and 22 Green Delhi Fellows will add strength to the government's environment enforcement and regulatory measures, the government said in a statement.

The Green Fellows are part of the Fellowship Program started by the government for young professionals to contribute to Delhi's green initiatives while the Junior Environmental Engineers will act as a force multiplier for the DPCC.

The initiative aims to motivate professionals to innovatively and creatively support Delhi's environmental governance, the state's environment Minister Gopal Rai said. "DPCC too has been further strengthened by hiring 30 Junior Environmental Engineers for the first time in almost 3 decades," he said.

The fellows and engineers together will work under the close supervision of senior officials of the government on various issues from air pollution to preservation of forests and wetlands to Yamuna cleaning to solid waste management and other environmental issues. The Green Fellows will support the department in making

strategies, in data analysis, field work, and empirical research. The new recruits will also strengthen the forest department and aid the government's forestry programs.

"The exposure that the fellowship will provide to these young professionals is unparalleled. Along with the transformation of Delhi's environment which they will support over the next few years, this will also help them become environmental leaders for times to come," advisor to the Minister Reena Gupta said.

The 52 new fellows were welcomed into the department through a three-day digital orientation by the Principal Secretary, of the Department of Environment and Forests, Sanjeev Khirwar, Member Secretary of DPCC, Dr KS Jayachandran, and Reena Gupta.

The orientation program was designed to expose the young professionals to subject-specific topics on environmental governance, air pollution, solid waste management, Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) among others. Experts from the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) also addressed the professionals during the 3-day program.