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New minister

New minister suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, 44, is the new environment minister of India. On assuming office, he told Down To Earth that the thrust of his government's environmental agenda would be on grassroot-level planning for the 21st century. He also said that he would like to introduce compulsory environmental education in schools and colleges. However, formal decisions on these issues would be taken only after the trust motion which his government is likely to win, he said.

The minister said that the children and youth should be made aware of environment-related issues. "It is the base for solutions to environmental problems,' he said.

A chartered accountant by profession, Prabhu has a degree in law. He represents the Shiv Sena party in the Bharatiya Janata Party ( bjp )

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