Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati has called upon the state’s youth to take the lead in building climate-resilient communities and advancing green development, urging them to turn environmental challenges into opportunities for sustainable livelihoods, innovation and employment.
Addressing the Odisha Conference of Youth (OCOY) 4.0 at XIM University in Jatni on Monday, the Governor said young people should not remain passive recipients of policies but emerge as architects of solutions. He stressed the need for youth-led action in areas including waste-to-resource initiatives, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and employment generation.
The Governor said climate change was no longer a warning about a distant future. Heatwaves, erratic rainfall, floods, cyclones and rising sea levels are already affecting agriculture and livelihoods, he noted, adding that climate resilience is not merely an environmental responsibility but also a matter of human dignity and responsibility towards future generations.
Referring to Odisha’s experience in dealing with cyclones and floods as well as its efforts to protect forests and biodiversity, Kambhampati said the state now needs to move beyond disaster preparedness towards building climate-resilient communities.
He cited youth-led initiatives such as seed-ball activities in Phulbani, plantation drives in Jatni and Khallikote, the Blue Flag Beach initiative in Puri and climate-awareness activities in Similipal as examples of how young people can contribute to wider environmental change. He also urged youth to make the principles of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” and Mission LiFE part of their everyday lives.
The Governor called for a “Mission 30 by 30”, under which climate-resilience programmes should be taken forward in every district of Odisha by 2030. He encouraged young people to combine scientific knowledge and technology with local expertise to develop solutions tailored to environmental challenges in individual districts.
He also urged participants in the three-day Youth Parliament and district-level discussions to move beyond identifying problems and work towards developing practical solutions. He expressed hope that the programme would help young people emerge as “ambassadors of sustainability, champions of climate resilience and agents of change”.
Kambhampati also linked sustainable lifestyles with India’s energy security, referring to geopolitical tensions in West Asia and the country’s dependence on imported crude oil. He encouraged young people to adopt sustainable modes of transport and gradually shift towards electric vehicles, saying this could help reduce dependence on imported crude, strengthen energy security and ease pressure on foreign exchange.
The Governor noted that electric vehicles have already been incorporated into his official convoy.
Speaking about the broader role of young people in Odisha’s development, he said the state needs a generation capable of shaping its future rather than simply inheriting it. He added that channelising the energy and creativity of young people into constructive action would help advance the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047.
The OCOY 4.0 programme also featured addresses by XIM University Vice-Chancellor Dr Father K.S. Casimir SJ, Nexus Select Trust General Manager and ESG Ambassador Harsha Bharadwaj, UNICEF Odisha Field Office Chief Prashant Kumar Dash and Sambhav co-founder Sabarmati Apa.
UNICEF Odisha WASH-CCES Specialist Sipra Saxena delivered the welcome address, while Youth4Water Plus Director Blorin Mohanty proposed the vote of thanks.
