Governor Emphasizes Sustainable Development at Doon University Conference,

Dehradun, October 12 – Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) participated in the valedictory session of the 24th International Conference of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) held at Doon University. The three-day event brought together distinguished scholars from India and abroad, who engaged in in-depth deliberations on key themes including social welfare, economics, employment, industry, agriculture, technology, environment, and urbanization.Addressing the concluding session, the Governor said the world today is striving for sustainable solutions to major global challenges such as climate change, environmental imbalance, and uneven development. He remarked that this conference is not merely an academic gathering but a powerful call for collective consciousness, shared responsibility, and environmental awareness.The Governor stressed that development and environment are not adversaries but complementary to each other, and real sustainable development lies in achieving harmony between them. He observed that climate change has now become an issue of human survival, driven by unplanned urbanization, rampant deforestation, and overexploitation of natural resources.He further stated that tackling this crisis requires more than policies or technology—it demands lifestyle transformation, community participation, and policy-making rooted in sensitivity toward nature. Highlighting the unique environmental challenges of hill states, he pointed to landslides, soil erosion, riverbank degradation, and loss of wildlife habitats as issues now intertwined with social and economic stability.The Governor underscored the importance of combining local participation with both scientific and traditional knowledge, alongside public awareness and education, to find sustainable remedies. Speaking on urban development, he said that while urbanization drives economic progress, unplanned growth leads to inequality, pollution, and resource depletion. Hence, he urged envisioning not just “smart cities” but also “green cities” featuring energy-efficient buildings, clean mobility, and abundant greenery.He concluded by noting that true sustainable development means balancing economic progress with environmental preservation. Calling upon the youth, he said they are not merely students of the future but the creators of it—their ideas, research, and sensitivity will shape a greener, prosperous, and self-reliant India. The Governor commended the organizers for providing an excellent platform for knowledge exchange and policy dialogue and expressed confidence that the insights emerging from the conference will guide sustainable development in the Himalayan region.