Approaching equity - Indiagovernance.gov.in

developing an understanding of natural resources andimpacts. Other tools like Right to Information Act,local schools for clean and efficient energy, etc. cansupport communities in meeting their needs.ii. Children17. All curricula beginning from the primary to the highereducation level must include environmental educationrelated to the conservation of water, the use of naturalresources, pollution, the need to limit consumptionand mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.18. The village committees, Panchayat Raj Institutions,Gram Sabhas and district development authoritiesshould play a critical role in the decision makingprocesses relating to climate change action. They mustbe empowered to develop mitigation and adaptionprogrammes and policies and then carry out theirimplementation.19. The existing disaster management framework,including the Disaster Management Act must beimplemented immediately with specific interventionsfor children.20. India and its neighbours, particularly Bangladesh,Sri Lanka and the Maldives, must collaborate at theinternational and national level to develop relocationand rehabilitation plans to cope with the growingnumber of environmental refugees. Particular focusshould be put on children and their need for stability,education, health and protection.21. The Right to Life as enshrined in the IndianConstitution is directly related to clean water andsanitation and with 400,000 children dying ofdiarrhoea every year, action is needed immediatelyto stop these preventable deaths. An infrastructureproject on the scale of our road building project forimproving water resources and providing all childrenwith clean water in a time bound period of two yearsshould be implemented. Water and sanitation shouldbe considered a fundamental human right and thisshould be reflected in comprehensive legislation at thenational and state levels.22. Replacing mixed forests (capable of sustaining Adivasilivelihoods) with single product-farming should beavoided as evidence shows that this increases foodinsecurity, child-stunting malnutrition and infant andchild mortality.23. Children’s right to a clean environment and healthare severely impaired by the lack of institutional wastemanagement systems and the increase in pollutionand untreated hazardous waste that industrialisationhas brought with it.24. The government should fund mass general awarenesscampaigns to reduce pollution caused by wrongfulwaste disposal. These campaigns should have a strongfocus on children as they are the future of the countryand are capable of bringing about change.25. The Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Actmust be implemented and those employing children inwaste management should be punished under the law.26. The millions of unorganised sector workers involvedin collecting and selling waste should be employedby government agencies and the waste managementsystem should be institutionalised. Furthermore,an integrated approach towards waste managementshould be adopted so as to ensure that hazardouswaste does not pollute rivers, ground water and theenvironment.27. All children, no matter whether they are Adivasichildren from the forests of Jharkhand, Dalit childrenfrom rural Rajasthan or children from conflict-riddenareas like the North East or Chhattisgarh, who havebeen forced into child labour in mines should berescued and provided with proper environmentalhabitats and facilities. The government should endforced displacement by revising the Land AcquisitionAmendment Bill 2007 by taking into considerationchild rights. There is also a need to adequately define‘public purpose’ and the provisions for grievanceredressal.28. Sustainable food security is a major challenge if hungerand malnutrition are to be overcome. Food securityinvolves strengthening the livelihood security of allmembers of a household by ensuring both physicaland economic access to a balanced diet. The foodshould originate from efficient and environmentallyfriendlyproduction technologies that conserve andenhance the natural resource base of crops, farmanimals, forestry and inland and marine fisheries.iii. Adolescents29. Adolescents need to be sensitized towards theenvironmental issues and involved in actions like39