It is said that the greatest wealth and strength of any nation is its youth. Hence it becomes extremely important to engage with regarding societal, cultural, economic, and political issues. Harvard US-India Initiative (HUII) hosted its annual India Conference in Mumbai between January 3 and 4, 2020 with an aim to connect with the youth.
Several speakers hailed from a wide range of backgrounds, such as politics, media, law, activism, Bollywood, academia, the arts, technology, and humanitarianism. The event started with a witty and thought-provoking keynote by Subramanian Swamy who offered his remarks on the current economic scenario in India. The highlight of the second day, on the other hand, was Aaditya Thackeray, who has been recently made the Minister of Tourism and Environment for Maharashtra.
Also Read: Income Tax Is Total Harassment: Subramanian Swamy At HUII 2020
While talking at the forum, Aaditya Thackeray stressed about “sustainable development”. He mentioned that unemployment and economic slowdown is a challenge but along with that how we balance that with the environment is a bigger challenge. He went on to elaborate the Aarey issue when he said,
Aarey isn’t just about trees. I understand that when you want to create highways, create dams, you want to have the infrastructure, somewhere you will have deforestation. I will not deny that. Because you will have lands with forest areas which can be put for some other uses. The point is, do you really want to take away the city’s flood plain and convert it into something that can be put at somewhere as well. The environmental cost is extremely important.
He even gave an example of Delhi on how the manifesto promises Free Wi-Fi but if we don’t change our tracks then the political parties will have to promise free oxygen hotspots. Elaborating on this, he said, “What we should cherish in the city is crisp sunlight, when we can go to sea link and see buildings beyond it. How many such days we have in our city?”
He concluded the discussion on this topic by talking about how urbanisation in a sustainable manner is the need of the hour as it brings in a lot of advantages such as sanitation, solid waste management, water body rejuvenation etc.
Also Read: Here Are The Key Takeaways From Harvard US-India Initiative
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