Ahmedabad:
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is now an author. His book - 'Convenient Action - Gujarat's Response To Challenges of Climate Change' was released in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The 250 page book essentially talks about the steps taken by the Gujarat government for environment protection.
The release function was attended by former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chief RK Pachauri. But more than the book, what caught everybody's attention was Modi's address to gathering in English, something that he rarely does.
"We can have conferences after conferences, but I think one simple action is better than a million good intentions. My book documents such simple actions," Modi said adding the book is a humble attempt to document steps taken by his government to meet the challenges of climate change.
The book, however, has few figures on emission levels in Gujarat. It merely showcases his pet projects like the river basin links, water treatment plants and the lone experimental BRTS corridor in Ahmedabad.
"I am neither an expert on climate change nor a professional writer, but I have written from the core of my heart," he said.
After former US Vice-President and Nobel laureate Al-Gore, Modi became the second political leader to write a book on climate change, said an official of Macmillan Publishers India Ltd, which published the book.
Nobel award winner Pachauri praised Modi for his efforts in dealing with the issue. "Political will is required to take unpopular decisions to save our climate," he said adding that the Gujarat Chief Minister has shown the way.
Pachauri recalled that Modi, along with his team of IAS officers, had come to him to understand the issue of climate change and spent an entire day with him.
Kalam also praised Modi's initiative and asked the Chief Minister to take steps to make Gujarat the carbon neutral state of India.
Interestingly, Modi was silent on Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh's performance at the climate change summit in Cancun - on India warming up to emission benchmarks. His party has been protesting against this in Delhi, but Modi hinted that he was launching his book, not controversies. (With PTI Inputs)