The time has come to treat the right to a wholesome environment as a
fundamental right, according to Union Minister of State (independent
charge) for Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan.
Speaking at the 20th annual convocation of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) here on Sunday, she said: “Greater rigour is required to ensure that the right to wholesome environment is treated as a fundamental right.”
According to Natarajan, the issue is to bring environment from the margins to the heart of India’s development.
“We should ensure that environmental management is integrated into policy development at all levels. The challenge is for the society to recognise what the farmer or tribal in the most remote part of India will tell us.”
“Environmental law is an area that was almost unexplored when NLSIU was founded. Today, it has huge scope for specialisation and is of enormous interest to government and corporations alike and is fast evolving,” she said.
Quoting Albert Einstein who had said ‘the environment is everything that is not me’, Natarajan asserted: “Environment has a bearing and profound impact on the lives of every citizen and future generations, which makes it the responsibility of law makers, judges, civil society, professionals and judiciary to preserve it.”
Natarajan said that with public interest litigations (PILs) gaining a sharper edge, the Right to Education Act (RTE) was likely to be challenged.
“RTE, which I believe is one of the most idealistic and profound legislations that the UPA government has brought about, will be challenged by someone in the court and tested for legal validity,” she said.
Addressing law students, she said: “Today, the legal profession is different from the court room and legal briefs that I began with. The entire landscape of the legal profession has assumed a new identity over the last 30 years. Yours is not a profession, it’s a calling.”
NLSIU vice-chancellor R Venkata Rao said on the occasion: “Never forget that a dream you dream alone is only a dream, but a dream you dream together is reality. With the inputs you have had from your alma mater, I am sure you will grow through life and not go through life,” he said.
Speaking at the 20th annual convocation of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) here on Sunday, she said: “Greater rigour is required to ensure that the right to wholesome environment is treated as a fundamental right.”
According to Natarajan, the issue is to bring environment from the margins to the heart of India’s development.
“We should ensure that environmental management is integrated into policy development at all levels. The challenge is for the society to recognise what the farmer or tribal in the most remote part of India will tell us.”
“Environmental law is an area that was almost unexplored when NLSIU was founded. Today, it has huge scope for specialisation and is of enormous interest to government and corporations alike and is fast evolving,” she said.
Quoting Albert Einstein who had said ‘the environment is everything that is not me’, Natarajan asserted: “Environment has a bearing and profound impact on the lives of every citizen and future generations, which makes it the responsibility of law makers, judges, civil society, professionals and judiciary to preserve it.”
Natarajan said that with public interest litigations (PILs) gaining a sharper edge, the Right to Education Act (RTE) was likely to be challenged.
“RTE, which I believe is one of the most idealistic and profound legislations that the UPA government has brought about, will be challenged by someone in the court and tested for legal validity,” she said.
Addressing law students, she said: “Today, the legal profession is different from the court room and legal briefs that I began with. The entire landscape of the legal profession has assumed a new identity over the last 30 years. Yours is not a profession, it’s a calling.”
NLSIU vice-chancellor R Venkata Rao said on the occasion: “Never forget that a dream you dream alone is only a dream, but a dream you dream together is reality. With the inputs you have had from your alma mater, I am sure you will grow through life and not go through life,” he said.
Excelent post
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