Bhubaneswar: The two-day long National Green Metal Conference 2024 (NGMC-2024) kicked off here today.
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena inaugurated the mega conference in presence of K Murugesan, Member Secretary of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) and Director of Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and other senior officers.
The theme of the crucial conference is “Balancing the Metal Eco Systems: Towards Green Sustainability”. It is being organised jointly by the State Pollution Control Board, Odisha, and the Biju Patnaik National Steel Institute (BPNSI).
Additional Secretary Ministry of Steel Ruchika Chaudhury Govil, BPNSI Director Pritam K Purakayastha and other graced the occasion.
Union Secretary Steel N N Sinha addressed the concalve on virutal mode.
Speaking on this occasion, the Chief Secretary said, “The policy makers, academia and industrialists need to make partner with each other to deal with such a complex subject, which is so important for all of us, to find someway out.”
The demand for metal is growing each day and will grow in future too. It is not going to come down. At the same time, its adverse impact on the environment is also known to everybody, he said.
Greenhouse gas emission has its impact on different forms and no other state realised it better than Odisha, which witnessed several cyclones in the past three decades. Shri Jena said, adding, the metal sector is one of the components responsible for such adverse impact on climate and environment.
The Prime Minister has committed to the global community that India will achieve net zero emission by 2070. To achieve it, all need to start acting in this regard, the CS said.
“We cannot compromise with our growth as the world is looking at India. At the same time, we cannot go to the extreme end of the impact of climate change. As we need to find a proper solution in between,” he suggested.
The Chief Secretary advised the industries and academia to work together and find the solution to decrease the carbon emission in the metal sector.
Addressing the gathering, Member Secretary Dr.Murugesan said the OSPCB has been declared as number one pollution control board among all such boards of the country for its transparency index. He thanked the Chief Secretary for directing such an event in Odisha.
He said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Forest & Environment Minister Pradip Kumar Amat are scheduled to attend the conference. However, they could not make it due to their presence in the State Assembly, which is on session.
Ruchika Chaudhry Govil, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Government of India, emphasized the critical challenges of sustainable development and climate change, and the need to achieve ‘zero’ carbon emissions by 2070.
N N Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Government of India, delivered a message through virtual mode. Pritam S. Purkayasta, Director of BPNSI, elaborated on the conference theme.
The conference’s four sessions held today were focused on India’s climate change vision, innovations in the steel and aluminum sector, and the future of metal production in the context of the circular economy.
This conference offers a unique opportunity for industry and mining organizations to learn about the latest in climate change mitigation technologies, environmental monitoring, and data storage. It also fosters knowledge exchange, contributing to the advancement of the mining and industrial sector and the overall progress of the metallurgical sector.
