Uttarakhand News: first state to launch GEP Index:- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a press conference on Friday, July 19, at the Uttarakhand Secretariat in Dehradun. During this event, he inaugurated the Gross Environmental Product (GEP) Index to evaluate environmental impacts. The Chief Minister stated that Uttarakhand is the first state to launch the GEP Index.
GEP Index Launched First in Uttarakhand
The Chief Minister remarked that our ancestors left us a rich environment with pure air and water sources. In current times, as we move forward with development, this index is an attempt to demonstrate how we are preserving the environment. He emphasized that the preservation of pure air and environment is the most critical need today, and the GEP is a significant step towards this goal.
What is the GEP Index?
The Chief Minister explained that the GEP Index will provide information on the government’s efforts toward environmental protection. In the future, the government will prepare plans based on the GEP Index. This assessment will undoubtedly establish better coordination between the environment and the economy. The index will also play an important role in future state policies. It will determine the changes in water, soil, forests, and air alongside developmental plans. Based on the GEP Index, we can assess the impact of developmental plans on the environment and move towards positive improvements.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami noted that during the financial year 2010-11, the state government had conceptualized the Green Bonus. However, Uttarakhand did not benefit from the Green Bonus. As a result, on December 21, 2021, the Uttarakhand government notified the definition of Gross Environmental Product by incorporating the difference between the value of environmental services in GDP and the cost of environmental damage.
