Uttarakhand to Tap Carbon Credit Potential as New Source of Income

DAINIK NATION BUREAU/DEHRADUN

Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan on Monday chaired a high-level meeting at the Secretariat to explore opportunities in the field of carbon credit. Stressing its importance, he said carbon credit can serve as a new source of income for Uttarakhand, while also supporting environmental protection and sustainable development.

The Chief Secretary announced that the Environment Department will function as the nodal department for carbon credit in the state. Highlighting Uttarakhand’s large forest cover, he said carbon credit holds immense potential for the hill state, as it not only strengthens conservation efforts but also opens up avenues for economic and social development. Farmers and local communities, he added, can benefit by earning carbon credits and selling them in national and international markets for additional income.

CS Bardhan identified the Forest, Agriculture, and Cooperative Departments as key players in this initiative. He directed the Cooperative Department to include Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in carbon credit projects and asked the Forest Department to work swiftly on both carbon and green credit programs. He also instructed the Agriculture and Dairy Development Departments to explore projects in this domain.

“By involving local communities, carbon credit will help protect biodiversity, promote a sustainable lifestyle, create new employment opportunities for youth in hilly regions, and provide farmers with an additional income stream,” he said.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Dr. BVRC Purushottam, Vinod Kumar Suman, C. Ravishankar, Sridhar Babu Addanki, Additional Secretary Vineet Kumar, Himanshu Khurana, along with representatives of NABARD and other senior officials.