More than 100 scientists and scholars to participate in 2nd NE Biotech Meet on 19-20 April

MEET TO DISCUSS PROTECTION, CONSERVATION, MONITORING AND EVALUATION WORK ON BIODIVERSITY
GANGTOK, 17 April: The 2nd North East Biotech Hub Coordinators Meet [19-20 April] will be held at Chintan Bhawan and will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on 19 April, informed Minister for Science and Technology & Climate Change, Bhim Dhungel today, while addressing a press conference regarding the same at Hotel Sonam Phalgey.
The meet is organised by Biotech Hub Centre, Sikkim State Council of Science & Technology, Gangtok, Department of Science & Technology & Climate Change, Government of Sikkim and supported by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
The meet will have more than 100 scientists and research scholars participating where they will discuss protection, conservation, monitoring and evaluation work on biodiversity, the Minister informed and added that the progress report of individual centres and other R&D activities of each centre will also be presented in the meet to foster exchange of ideas to promote Biotechnology in the NE region.
The Minister [who is also the Minister for Forest, Environment & Wildlife Management Department] spoke on various programmes of the department and the State government taken for the protection and conservation of biodiversity in Sikkim. He further stated that Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] assisted Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation & Forest Management Project [SBFP] has given more than Rs. 320 crore to be utilised by the department for biodiversity conservation programmes in the state.
A German technical and another financial corporation, the Rural Management Development Department [RMDD], the Forest Department and the Science & Technology Department will also be taking up biodiversity conservation programmes in the State, he further informed. He added that eight department officials will be going to Japan for training under Biodiversity Conservation next month. The team will be headed by Anil Minera [Principal Director, SBFP].
He further stated that the Eco Tourism Policy had also been framed for Sikkim and this was the first of its kind in the country. The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Environment have asked other states of the country to follow the Eco Tourism policy of Sikkim, he added.
He informed the gathering about the department’s initiative towards patenting the traditional Lepcha Hat made from cane in Dzongu and about the identification of more than 150 mother trees to be declared as heritage trees following the process of measuring their girth and age, which is going on. The Namchi-Damthang-Ravangla Road would also be declared as an Eco-Highway, he added.
He also informed of the ongoing projects and other programmes of the department on the anvil or which are going to be launched soon.
Also present for the meeting were PCCF-cum Additional Chief Secretary, Manjeet Singh and officials from the Science & Technology & Climate Change Department.