Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday made an appeal to the people of Himachal Pradesh to be part of the 'Earth Hour', which will be observed under the theme 'The Biggest Hour for Earth' on March 25.
He said it was an endeavour of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to raise awareness about the conservation of nature and climate change - the two biggest threats that the planet faces today, a statement issued here said.
He urged the people of the state to switch off all non-essential lights on March 25 for one hour from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm to support this mission. He said this mission would go a long way in creating a better and healthy environment for future generations.
Sukhu said his government has also initiated effective steps to develop Himachal Pradesh as a 'Green Energy State' by March 31, 2026. Steps were also taken to encourage the use of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions in the state, the chief minister said.
Apart from this, private bus operators and truck operators would be given a subsidy of 50 per cent on purchase of e-buses and e-trucks besides 50 per cent subsidy for setting up charging stations.
Sukhu said environment degradation was a big challenge globally and the present state government has gone for a green budget for the year 2023-24. This will not only conserve the natural environment of the state but also mitigate the problem of climate change, he added.
-With PTI Input
