Vice President Hamid Ansari today said, the government and institutional action is needed for ensuring a clean and healthy environment which is a basic requirement for human wellbeing and economic growth.

Inaugurating an international conference in New Delhi on Strengthening Green Federalism, Sharing International Practices in New Delhi he said that serious reflection and action is required on the issues of governance and institutional design wherein environment and development are concerned. Mr Ansari said, the 13th Finance Commission urged the need to manage ecology, environment and climate change consistent with sustainable development and to incentivise states towards improved environmental performance.

Stressing the need for a change in approach for interlinking of rivers, he said, Inter-state rivers are source of conflicts and acrimony between countries and between states around the sharing and use of water. Many of these conflicts result from a poor fit between ecosystems they represent and institutions designed to manage them. Mr Ansari said that the importance of strengthening federal relations to protect the environment has been pointed out by the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State Relations also.