Convergence panel formed to work on biodiversity issues

kolkata: On the occasion of International Biodiversity Day, West Bengal Biodiversity Board announced that a convergence committee has been formed with nodal officers from 10 other associated departments, which has been deputed in order to coordinate while working on the biodiversity issues.

The departments inducted in the convergence committee are Fisheries, Forest, School Education and Higher Education, P and RD and UDMA, Agriculture and Horticulture, Tourism and land and Land Reforms. On Sunday, during the celebration of International Biodiversity Day, 2022, winners of poster making competition and photography competition on the subject biodiversity were awarded. A man, identified as Radheshyam Gorai of Jamuria, was felicitated for his tireless effort for the past 30 years to plant more than five lakh trees. Gorai, a farmer by profession, said that he got the inspiration to plant more trees around 30 years ago, after hearing a speech of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

During the programme chairman of West Bengal Biodiversity Board, Himadri Sekhar Debnath, said three more biodiversity sites will come up soon. He also mentioned that at present in eight crop bank, they are preserving the seeds of several crops, which are rarely cultivated but good for the land. Sundarban Affairs minister, Bankim Chandra Hazra said that his department is constantly trying to stop catching of fingerlings and extracting honey without permission in order to maintain biodiversity balance in the Sundarbans area. Also, he acknowledged a proposal of setting up a research centre in Sundarbans by the Pollution Control Board Chairman Kalyan Rudra. Apart from Hazra, Minister of State (MoS) for Environment Department, Ratna De Nag was also present.