New Delhi, April 30 -- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today called for a coordinated and proactive approach involving all stakeholders-government institutions, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodies, Van Panchayats, and citizens-to ensure sustainable development and ecological balance. He emphasized that empowering local communities and respecting traditional knowledge systems are essential for long-term environmental sustainability and national progress.

Addressing representatives of Van Panchayats, elected members of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, and Urban Local Bodies at Dr. Raghunandan Singh Tolia Administrative Academy, Nainital, Birla noted that Uttarakhand's Van Panchayats have emerged as a successful model of communi...