Anil Madhav Dave did Narmada parikrama with Cessna

Environment minister “was tremendously passionate towards conserving the environment”, says PM Modi

GN Bureau | May 18, 2017


#Narendra Modi   #Narmada   #environment   #Anil Madhav Dave   #river conservation  
Environment minister Anil Madhav Dave passes away at 60 (Photo: PIB)
Environment minister Anil Madhav Dave passes away at 60 (Photo: PIB)

Anil Madhav Dave, the environment minister who passed away on Thursday, was a maverick in politics: he was an amateur pilot and once he did the parikrama, or circumambulation, of the Narmada river flying his Cessna 173 for 18 hours.

Dave was not keeping well for some time, and breathed his last at the AIIMS in Delhi on Thursday morning. He was 60.
 
Paying tributes to him, prime minister Narendra Modi said, “Absolutely shocked by the sudden demise of my friend and a very respected colleague, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave ji. My condolences.” Modi noted that Dave “will be remembered as a devoted public servant. He was tremendously passionate towards conserving the environment.” 
 
Modi said he was with Dave till late Wednesday evening, discussing key policy issues. “This demise is a personal loss”, the PM said.
 
Before taking charge of the environment ministry in the last cabinet reshuffle in July 2016, Dave was known for his work for the Narmada river conservation through Narmada Samagra, an organisation he founded. Apart from flying the aircraft along the banks of the Narmada to complete a circumambulation in air; he also completed a 1,312-kilometre journey by raft on the river in 19 days. His organisation holds a biennial ‘River Festival’, and covers the climate change and environmental issues.
 
Dave also authored numerous books on politics, administration, art and culture, travel, history, and environment, including ‘Srijan Se Visarjan Tak’, ‘Mahanayak Chandrashekhar Azad’, ‘Narmada Samagra’, ‘Samagra Gram Vikas’ (in Hindi) and ‘Creation to Cremation’, ‘Beyond Copenhagen’, and ‘Yes I can, so we can’, according to his member profile on the Rajya Sabha website.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said.   He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.

RBI pauses to assess inflation risks, policy transmission

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has begun the new fiscal year with a calibrated pause, keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent in its April Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. The decision, taken unanimously, reflects a shift from aggressive policy action to cautious observation after a signi


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter