Use technology to check pollution: Centre

Mumbai: Polluting industries will be under technology advanced surveillance as the government will leverage the latest advance in technology to protect the environment.

It will be via focused regulatory mechanisms through three pertinent measures, namely 24X7 pollution monitoring of 3,026 industries in seven critically polluting sectors; leveraging satellite technology to monitor as-is coordinates of projects such as sand excavation etc., and lastly GPS-based management monitoring and compliance regime to ensure implementation, said Union minister of state for environment, forests and climate change Prakash Javadekar.

Addressing the Indian Merchants’ Chamber on ‘Balancing Environment with Development’, he said whilst the rest of the world was talking about climate change and what needs to be done, India is already in “mission mode, not commission mode. With clean water-clean air-clean energy mission, a clear plan, transparent practices and people’s participation, we are determined to change and allow growth and protection at the same time.” 

India has planned 185 MW of renewable energy, which will save 3 metric tonnes of carbon emission.

“We will be going to the upcoming Paris agreement on climate change in December 2015 with a positive agenda with a view to increasing the energy efficiency by 20-25 per cent in all sectors”, he said, adding, the government has done real wonders in the coal and mining sector by adopting the auction route.

“The iron ore mines in Goa that were closed for two years, we made the Goa government responsible for allotting the mines,” the minister said.