‘Students need to form ecological parliament’

Noted ecologist Vandana Shiva on Thursday urged the youth to have an ecological parliament to save the earth. Shiva was addressing a session on ‘Emerging threats to environment’ on day two of the first Parliament of Indian Student council leaders at the MIT School of Government (MITSOG).

Addressing the students, Shiva said, “We have converted our rivers into drains by directly releasing the urban and industrial waste into them. There is a nutrition divide in our country. Those who produce food do not get a proper meal, while those in power snatch away food, water and other amenities increasing the gap between rich and poor. Nature is bountiful and one cannot dominate it.”

Voicing concern over farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra, she said, “Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region has become the capital for farmers’ suicides in the country. I want various universities in Vidarbha to initiate a course on farmers and seeds for the students. This will help the students come close to nature as well as understand a farmer better. “Besides, there should be justice for rural people. We have learned to be greedy and exploiting others from the western world. However, our culture has taught us to give from what we have.”

Elaborating on intellectual property rights (IPR), she said, “The IPR shouldn’t be used for fundamental things but only for true inventions. India has 9,000 patent claims on medicinal plants while 6,000 on seeds. Interestingly, the US wanted to patent neem when they found out that it has natural insecticide qualities. However, we fought for it and won the case.”  She also appealed the youth to join the Beej Vidyapeeth opened by her where the students can learn about various seed patterns of the country.