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APARIGRAHA - THE HUMANE SOLUTION
environment. This is the latest elitist fad that only satisfies the desire for change of the upper middle class and the rich, rather than reflecting any true love for rural India and village culture. It simply looks like a commemoration of village-culture than a sincere acceptance of a life style.
For effective implementation of environmental programmes attitudinal change is of great importance; we have to recognise the significance of environmental issues as manifested in the problems of day-to-day life. Environmentally unsound decisions affect the quality of our life at the most basic level. At another level Environment Impact Assessment (E.I.A.), process which is meant to assess the viability of a project in a particular site also has some significance. Though such a process may have its limitations as the reports prepared could be inconclusive due to the fluctuating nature of the subject examined and changing conditions of environmental site, the bureaucratic delays or politicians' self-interest could also make the reports mere formalities rather than a genuine action plan. In some cases preparing such reports may be more expensive than the project itself. Further, even though, there is legislation in India regarding environmental matters, yet like everything else, it is not effectively implemented, so the enforcement necessitates a change in the status quo. This, again, takes us to the solution in an ethical manner.
Environmental issues have been reduced to fashionable catchwords instead of being treated seriously. Lack of seriousness or indifference on the part of the influential, educated, intelligent people is one of the reasons. Their attitude is 'why bother about a remote' future. In science and technology serious, dedicated, brilliant people work and the so ciety gets the benefit or otherwise from their work. This has to function in the opposite manner, the environmentalists lobby has to be alert and dedicated so that the anti-environment science and technology does not get a free hand.
Conservation is not the concern of the elite, it is the concern of the masses. The masses have to work together dedicatedly with one strong point in their favour, that is, the strength of their numbers. It is
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