10 Himalayan states seek green bonus, separate ministry

MUSSOORIE: Representatives of 10 states, who assembled at Mussoorie to attend a one-day conclave of Himalayan states, unanimously decided that a separate ministry should be constituted at the Centre to look after the matters related to the Himalayan region. The demand for a 'green bonus' for the ecological services being provided by the states was another key issue discussed in the meeting. Further, with almost all the tourist destinations in the hills hitting a saturation point, the states called for the need to develop new destinations to ease the load off the existing ones.
The speakers from the various states also expressed concern over the migration from areas close to the border. It was decided that such a conclave should be organised every year to discuss common issues pertaining to the Himalayan states.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur, Meghalaya CM KC Sangma, Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, finance commission chairperson NK Singh and Niti Aayog vice- chairperson Rajiv Kumar were among the prominent attendees at the conclave which also saw representatives of other states like Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram and Jammu & Kashmir. Owing to incessant rains and floods, representatives from Assam could not attend the conclave.
^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

References

1. ^{^} Mussoorie (www.happytrips.com)
2. ^{^} Himalayan states (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
3. ^{^} migration (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
4. ^{^} Nirmala Sitharaman (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
5. ^{^} Jai Ram Thakur (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
6. ^{^} Neiphiu Rio (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
7. ^{^} Niti Aayog (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

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