Need to protect jobs along with the environment, says Law Minister Kiren Rijiju

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma lauds the contribution of judiciary in protecting the environment 

Protection of jobs while safeguarding the environment during economic progress in India was also a concern, said Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday.

The Law Minister made the comments while speaking at a seminar on “Environment and Sustainable Development: Role of Judiciary” and “Digitisation of Indian Judiciary - its Impact in Dispensation of Justice”.

Organised by the Gauhati High Court in collaboration with the Assam government, senior Supreme Court and High Court judges are attending the meet being held at Kaziranga, a UNESCO heritage site.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also spoke at the seminar. He said, “The decision of holding this seminar in Kaziranga conveys a powerful message on the conservation of biodiversity. It is also noteworthy that the Indian judiciary has a commendable history of contributions to environmental protection and upholding principles of sustainable development.”

Inaugurating the seminar, Mr. Rijiju said the per capita GDP in India was still very less compared to other mid-level and developed nations. “When we talk about growth of the economy, we only talk about protection of the environment. But we are also concerned about protection of jobs,” he said.

The Law Minister said all the stakeholders must come together to deliberate on the issues covered by the theme of the meet.

“Today, the per capita GDP of India is $2,100 and it is very less, but India as a whole, when we calculate, it’s close to a 3.23 trillion dollar economy. It is the fifth largest economy (in the world),” he said.