New Delhi, Feb. 19: Assam forest minister Pradyut Bordoloi was today conferred the prestigious Venu Menon National Animal Award for Leadership in Conservation.
The award for the current year, which carries a citation and a statuette, was given away by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which has also declared the minister the ?animal welfare politician of the year.? Bordoloi is the first politician in the country to be given the award.
?This is a recognition that will induce me to work harder for conservation. Whether I?m forest minister or not is immaterial. My efforts to create awareness for biodiversity conservation of the region will continue unabated,? said a moved Bordoloi before the presentation ceremony at the India Habitat Centre. He said much harm has been caused to the region?s ecology owing to a lack of awareness.
?Many species, both flora and fauna endemic to the Northeast have been lost as their importance could not be understood. No wonder the eastern Himalayas is now one of the ecological hotspots in the world.?
Bordoloi has adopted a stand to protect forests that has often gone against the policies of other government departments. He has been instrumental in shifting the ?paradigm? of forest administration and development since he assumed charge of the department some two years ago.
Earlier, the department was viewed as the sole custodian of forests. This resulted in other stakeholders, like local residents, getting a negligible role in development. ?But this approach has not only failed but been counter-productive,? he said.
?While giving the stakeholders a crucial role in development and administration, our objective is to enlarge the forest cover and generate income from it. The results of this new policy are already visible.? The minister, however, cautioned that much work remains to be done in the realm of man-elephant conflict.
Bordoloi added that a solution to the problem cannot be found overnight but measures can be initiated that would bear fruit in future.
The awards, presented by former Union minister Karan Singh, are supported by the International Fund for Animals (IFAW), the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, the Wildlife Trust of India and Air-India.
The Venu Menon National Animal Awards are the country?s premier private awards that commemorate excellence in animal welfare. Started in 1999, they were instituted in memory of Venu Menon, an animal lover who died young.
Instituted in 11 different categories, they involve recognition through citations, statuettes and cash prizes. The recipients were selected by a jury comprising eminent people drawn from various walks of life.
According to Vivek Menon, managing trustee of the Foundation, ?Various individuals and organisations undertake programmes in the field of animal care but few recognise and reward their contributions. This is where the Venu Menon Animal Allies Foundation is different.?