Guwahati: Jadav Payeng, popularly known as the Forest Man of India and a Padma Shree awardee, recently spoke at the Bodoland International Knowledge Festival in Kokrajhar about his serious concerns regarding global warming.
He urged global leaders to consider implementing a week-long lockdown across the world to help restore balance in the ecosystem.
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“I feel if we can give a lockdown for a week in a year globally, the balance of the ecosystem will be back gradually. I’m saying this from my personal experience,” Payeng said during his speech on the theme of the Indigenous Knowledge System.
He also shared how he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about preserving India’s forests and green cover, stating that development at the cost of nature is a curse.
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Payeng also expressed his hope that the new education policy in India would bring about change and advocated for 60% reservation for women.
The four-day knowledge festival focused on themes such as sustainable agriculture, gender empowerment, communication and media, and peacebuilding, among others.