NEW DELHI, 17 November, 2016
“There is no barrier or border for air, so the country needs integrated action towards improving the quality of air we breathe” Mr Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Railways, Government of India. He was speaking today at the launch of the CII – NITI Aayog initiative, Cleaner Air - Better Life | ?????? ???? – ???????? , organised by CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and supported by Cummins Inc. Mr Prabhu emphasised that there is a need to create win-win situation, which goes beyond regulation involves stakeholders and comes up with innovative solution to tackle the challenge of air quality. He proposed developing a supply chain for biomass collection from farmers, setting up biomass plants and using it as fuel. This would not only solve the crop burning problem but also foster new livelihood options creating a win-win solution. He congratulated NITI Aayog and CII for partnering to raise awareness, take actions and foster use of technology to deliver on this fundamental right of cleaner air.
?????? ???? – ???????? initiative was launched by Mr. Suresh P Prabhu, Union Minister for Railways, Government of India in presence of Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog; Mr. Tom Linebarger, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Cummins Inc.; Mr. Anant Talaulicar, Chairman & Managing Director, Cummins India.
“The voice of the people must be heard. People living in NCR should push for action, should demand cleaner air” said Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. Mr. Kant fervently appealed that we must be ready for some short term pain to deliver long term gains in this fight against pollution. He cited the example of CNG buses that caused short term pains for industries and residents but was critical for long term goal of cleaner air. Innovatively addressing agriculture residue burning, technology intervention for road dust and construction debris cleaning up, encouraging the shared economy, launching 2500 public transport buses and planting 10M trees are some of the ideas he shared towards delivering on the objective of ?????? ???? – ????????
Mr. Tom Linebarger highlighted the commitment of Cummins to actively support this initiative, bring in technologies and find ways to develop solutions to restore the quality of air in Delhi NCR. He said the company and its employees feel motivated to bring their capabilities and resources and be part of the solution.
Mr. Anant Talaulicar who will chair the ?????? ???? – ???????? initiative emphasized that it is important to get started, get moving and take action towards addressing the complex problem of air pollution. He stressed that CII aimed to be a catalyst, to use knowledge and power to draw in industries to meet the goal of developing comprehensive and holistic roadmap to take actions for delivering Cleaner Air –Better Life.
‘Cleaner Air – Better Life’ is an initiative aimed at improving the air quality of NCR, will work towards engaging business, civil society and government to learn from peers and take actionable steps to improve the air pollution in NCR. The specific objectives are to develop an integrated approach that brings together policy makers, industry, academia, community and civil society to build consensus, deliver voluntary commitments towards reducing air pollution, influence adherence to existing policies and advocacy towards newer policies. This initiative will focus on three main areas that are major sources of air pollution in NCR namely transportation, industries and domestic sources.
About CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development
A pioneering effort by CII, CESD is on a mission to catalyse innovative ideas and solutions, in India, and globally, to enable business, and its stakeholders, in sustainable value creation. Its knowledge, action and recognition activities enable companies to be future ready, improve footprints’ profiles, and advocate policymakers and legislators to improve standards of sustainable business through domestic and global policy interventions.
CESD leverages its role of an all-inclusive ecosystem player, partnering industry, government, and civil society. It has been a pioneer of environment management systems, biodiversity mapping, sustainability reporting, integrated reporting, and social & natural capital valuation in India, thus upgrading business in India to sustainable competitiveness.