17/11/2021
It was an unusual setting for a state's cabinet meeting. The venue was the Pakke Tiger Reserve. The Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet Meeting was being conducted for the first time outside the state capital.
The pieces fall in place when the Cabinet approved the "Pakke 2047 Declaration", which aims to promote 'climate resilient development in the state, the first of its kind in the country.
It made more sense when the media enthusiastically carried the news item that Kaiser-i-Hind has been approved as the State Butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh. The butterfly enthusiasts, who have been visiting Arunachal Pradesh to attend the events like Ziro Buttterfly Meet and more recently, Namdhapa Butterfly Meet, were euphoric.
However, the euphoria was short-lived as the Government of Arunachal Pradesh issued a press statement announcing that the agenda on State Butterfly has been deferred "with a direction to place the proposal after wider consultations with experts".
Now, this was rather bizarre. Bizarre, because one would assume that 3 years was good enough a time for wide consultation with experts. The process had started way back in 2018, as an outcome of the Ziro Butterfly Meet at Yazali. The proposal was reportedly approved by the State Wildlife Board in the beginning of 2020. And one would assume that the proposal would be placed for deliberations by the highest decision making body of the state, the Cabinet, after thorough exercise.
However, the agenda has just been deferred. We hope that "experts" will be widely consulted. Since the government is committed to Climate Resilient and Responsive Arunachal, and 'environment, forest and climate change' is among the "panch dharas", it will ensure that there is no undue delay in declaration of a State Butterfly.