Bhubaneswar: Speaking at the 'Earth Again' conference organised by the Sambad Group in Bhubaneswar today, Athmallik MLA Nalini Kanta Pradhan stressed the need for active community involvement in environmental initiatives.

Participating in the session titled "Democratising Climate Governance through People’s Participation", the MLA said the 'Earth Again' initiative of the Sambad Group has been continuing in every constituency across Odisha for the past two years, creating widespread awareness on environmental issues.

“The world we lived in 50 to 60 years ago no longer exists. Sambad has been playing a vital role in awakening people’s consciousness about climate and environmental change,” he added.

Sharing his experiences from Athmallik, Pradhan said his constituency is surrounded by mining and industrial zones, which have led to environmental degradation.

“Two years ago, we launched a climate programme there, forming Climate Clubs to address deforestation and waste management. We also carried out cleaning drives to remove plastic waste from the Mahanadi river,” he said.

To encourage community participation, Pradhan introduced an incentive model. “We announced that the panchayats performing well in environmental protection would receive special grants. Similarly, schools were encouraged to plant trees on their premises, and those maintaining records of the saplings were rewarded,” he said.

Expressing concern over rampant deforestation, the legislator remarked that environmental degradation has worsened due to unchecked tree cutting in the name of development. “We have reaped the consequences of our negligence,” Pradhan said, urging for a collective effort to restore ecological balance.