Gujarat Ecology Commission
Endearing Environment
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Dr. S. K. Nanda, IAS Chairman & Principal Secretary , |
Shri E. Balagurusamy, IFS Member Secretary, |
Gujarat Ecology Commission is
an institution established in 1992 by the Forest & Environment Department,
Government of Gujarat to address the State’s environment-issues and develop
sustainable technologies. The Commission is headed by a Member-Secretary,
who is assisted by gazetted officers, deputed from Forest & Revenue Departments.
The Member Secretary is an all India service officer with super time scale.
He is the Chief Executive of the Commission. A multi-disciplinary team of
professionals (Including Forester, Ecologist, Environment Engineer, Socio-economist,
GIS & RS Expert and Computer specialists) support the Commission, along
with other ministerial staff.
The major strength of the Commission is its ability to draw on the existing
institutional and professional resources of the State and elsewhere, based
on felt need. It has worked with almost all the professionally renowned
institutions of the State.
The Commission's main role is to design project, execution, monitoring and
evaluation. It works in the areas having association with direct action
in ecological and environmental protection.
GEC is a platform for providing information and other inputs, which are
needed to develop a policy and approach for ecological conservation and
sustainable development. At the same time, it undertakes, on its own and
in collaboration with other agencies, initiatives for the protection of
ecosystems under threat and restoration of ecologically degraded zones.
This is done through trial and demonstrative projects, which establish benchmarks
for future replication.
GEC’s approach is to integrate environmental concerns with regular economic
activity, even to the extent of relating conservation of biological diversity
with the livelihood prospects of the present generation in addition to the
concerns for future generations.
The Commission views sustainable development as an ongoing cumulative process,
rather than an end product. Therefore, it adopts an action-centered network
approach to environment management and development; wherein links are established
among Government, scientists, experts in various disciplines, voluntary
agencies, communication experts, business and industries in problem-solving
and consensus-building towards developing a common vision.
Shri E. Balaguruswamy, IFS is the Member Secretary of Gujarat Ecology Commission,
since August- 2008.