Thursday

01


November , 2018
UN recognises Sikkim’s organic feat
12:59 pm

B.E. Bureau


The Indian state of Sikkim has recently been awarded the prestigious ‘World Future Policy Award 2018’ by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for becoming the world's first totally organic agriculture state. The award recognises this remarkable achievement and the UNFAO believes that this shift to organic farming will ensure a move to sustainable food and agriculture systems that are essential to achieve sustainable development. In 2016, Sikkim became the first organic state in the world with more than 66,000 farming families practicing organic farming. The state has around 75,000 hectares of certified organic farmland.

Pawan Kumar Chamling, Chief Minister, Sikkim responded to this prestigious award by saying, “We started the Organic Mission in 2003 by adopting a resolution in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly. Sikkim is a fully organic state now. It has taken us over a decade to do this. We have been able to achieve this through our perseverance, political will, sincerity and hard work. That is why this is regarded as the ‘Policy of the Future’ and will be emulated widely within India and all over the world.”

Sikkim has rolled out a number of ‘green’ public policies which include Sikkim Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act 1997, Sikkim Prohibition of Smoking and Non-Smokers’ Health Protection Act, 1997, Sikkim Forest (Compounding of Offences) Rules, 1998, Sikkim Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Amendment Act, 1998, Harit Kranti Dashak from 2000-2010, Sikkim (Detection, Enquiry & Disposal of Forest Offenses Rules, 2002), Sikkim Private and Other Non-Forest Lands Tree Felling Rules, 2006, Sikkim State Biological Diversity Rules, 2006, Glacier and Climate Change Commission 2007, Sikkim Non-biodegradable Garbage (Control) Amendment Rules 2008, Sikkim Eco-tourism Policy 2012 and Sikkim Forest Trees (Amity and Reverence) Rules, 2017. All these policies augment well for the environmental sanctity of this quaint Himalayan state.

 

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