Darj MP for Academy for Natural Resources Education in Kurseong

SNS, SILIGURI, 23 MARCH : Ahead of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to the Hills, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista today met Bhupendra Yadav, the union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, and urged hint to upgrade the Eastern Forest Rangers College in Kurseong to the Central Academy for Natural Resources Education.

"I informed him about the lack of an institute dedicated to studying issues related to Natural Resources Management, Environmental Management, Disaster Mitigation and Management, and Climate Change in the Eastern Himalayan region," Mr Bista said.

Darjeeling has been one of the premier education destinations in India, and the Eastern Forest Rangers College in Kurseong is ideally situated to fill in this gap, he added.

According to him, the Himalayan region of North Eastern states in India, starting from Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars, part of the Eastern Himalayan region, is one of the 34 IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) global biodiversity hotspots. This region has fragile geography, ecology, and livelihood of the people is mostly dependent on natural resources, agriculture and forestry-related activities.

"In the past three decades, our region has witnessed immense changes, some induced due to anthropocentric interventions, and some as a result of climate variability and change," Mr Bista claimed.

However, there has been no research focus on studying these phenomena, understanding them and making informed policy and developmental decisions based on sound research-backed science, Mr Bista added.

"I have, therefore, requested him to kindly upgrade the Eastern Forest Rangers College, Kurseong, to the Central Academy for Natural Resources Education (CARE),' said Mr Bista, who is also the BJP's National spokesperson.