World Bank to help Himachal become carbon-neutral state

The World Bank has given an in principle go-ahead to help Himachal Pradesh become a carbon-neutral state, according to a state government release today.

The WB authorities conveyed their decision at a high level mid-term meeting of the Himachal Pradesh-Mid-Himalayas Watershed Development Project held here last evening. The meeting was presided over by state chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Dhumal said his government was exploring every possibility of pooling in all internal and external resources to protect and conserve the Himalayan ecology. Describing the Bank initiative as a welcome step, he said this would go a long way in making Himachal a carbon-neutral state in the near future, the release said.

He said the Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project was a great success and that encouraging results were pouring in from the project areas as it gave a boost to economic activities in rural areas.

The project was instrumental in increasing the overall household income by 9% and helping 5% of the BPL families to move up the income ladder and enter the APL category, Dhumal said.