Investing in Nature-India Programme Formally Launched

The Investing in Nature India (IIN-India) programme was launched by Shri Bachi Singh Rawat, Minister of State, (MOS), Science & Technology Government of India, in a function organized by the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow in New Delhi on 6th June 2003.

Shri Bachi Singh Rawat, Minister of State, Science and Technology, releasing IIN-India brochure	First IBGN Newsletter	Giving his inaugural address

In his inaugural address Shri Bachi Singh Rawat said that it was matter of great pleasure that HSBC has supported one of the most prestigious international programmes- Investing in Nature, which aims to protect
20,000 (twenty thousand) plant species from extinction and educate over two and half a million people about the importance of plants. It is all the more important that BGCI has selected India as one of the beneficiaries from this programme.

The hon'ble Minister also inaugurated a national meeting of the BioNET INTERNATIONAL and on this occasion minister commented that. “I am sure that there will be useful deliberation in the National meeting in next two days and experts will finalize India's strategy for this programme to be pursued at the South Asia level.”

The Minister spoke about DBT and CSIR's initiative in the development of South Asia Legume database under the aegis of the International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS), U.K ,the first global effort to develop a database of the world's ca 19500 legumes and share the information on the internet (www.ildis.org). He released the Legumes of South Asia book on this occasion and said that he was glad to see this valuable publication of NBRI, which has been published by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, UK in 2003.

Fig. 9. Dr. R. A. Mashelkar giving his address.

Earlier, Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, FRS, Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research extended a warm welcome to Hon'ble Minister, distinguished dignitaries and the participants attending the function organized by National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow for launching two major initiatives: I- Investing in Nature (IIN-India) and II-National seminar-cum meeting on BioNET INTERNATIONAL.