THE Himalayan States on Sunday came together at a conclave here to demand a separate Union Ministry to deal with problems endemic to them and a green bonus in recognition of their contribution to environment conservation.

 

The twin demands formed part of a common agenda of the Himalayan States and a proposal in this regard was handed over to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the end of the conclave, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra

Singh Rawat told reporters after the event.

 

Sitharaman inaugurated the one-day Himalayan conclave held here on Sunday. Chief ministers and representatives of the Himalayan States -- Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakahand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagalaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur -- took part in the conclave. The only absence was of Assam, which has been ravaged by the floods.

 

It is for first time that the Himalayan States have come on a single platform to take a unanimous stand on the issue of green bonus and a separate Ministry to deal with problems unique to them. Explaining the rationale behind the demand for a green bonus, Rawat said most of the country’s rivers originate in the Himalayas and therefore the States have to play the most significant role in PM’s water conservation initiative.