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It can be seen from
the above review of the eco-environmental scenario of Gujarat and
the many facets of the role played by GEC that in future, there
will never be dearth of good work to be done. It has been the experience
of GEC that at each stage of its development so far, new challenges
and priorities have emerged and it has taken them on, in addition
to all what has been originally assigned to it. It has developed
the necessary versatility of skills and flexibility of approach
to deal with them. This enables GEC to make necessary adjustments
and course corrections such as emerging situations require.
Presence and action
in all the categories of the thrust areas outlined above will, however,
form the bulk of its work, so as to say, its bread and butter. It
is its strength and depth in these areas that give GEC its authority
and reliability. To
reinforce its own resources and aptitudes and to progressively increase
its utility to others, one major source in future will be its involvement
in Geographical Information System (GIS). Behind this rather prosaic
title, there is a vast potential which will enable anyone to access
it, a database which is comprehensive , cumulative and progressively
updated. Further, GIS will have the quality of transparency and
openness which is essential for public institutions like GEC working
in a democratic and egalitarian polity.
GEC has believed
in the need to ensure active participation and involvement of the
community in its mission. This commitment will continue and as a
part of the extended agenda, it has already reached out to the smaller
NGOs and locations. What is now envisaged is that women and younger
generation have to form essential and growing elements in the preservation
of environment. This
is necessary for effective and sustained implementation. Their presence
is a basic part of a just, fair and secure social order and thus,
has its own intrinsic value. For a performance-oriented organization
like GEC, the quality of its work will be enriched by women with
their warmth and common sense and enlivened by the young by their
enthusiasm and inventiveness. By empowering them both, GEC will
energize itself.
GEC is always aware
that environment is too important a matter to be left only to the
environmentalists. This is reflected in the membership of the Commission,
the composition of its conservative bodies and the reach of its
interfaces. It is also evident in the way GEC has placed the living
presence of the community at the centre of things. The larger and
longer view will, therefore, be another constant in the perspective
of the Commission.
A few things will
remain constant in the way GEC thinks and works. It has many promises
to keep but it will refrain from making promises it cannot manage
to fulfil. It will be open to new ideas and directions, but while
accepting new responsibilities, it will remain aware of its limitations
and capacities. For a good cause, GEC will run the additional mile,
usually with or for someone else, even alone if it believes in it.

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