सव भव तु सिखनः ु Annual Report 2022-23 aforesaid report of SP, Tinsukia, Assam, that a er inves ga on of Case No. 300/2021 P.S. Margherita in the instant case, Final Report No.127/22 dated 13 September 2022 had been filed before the competent court as insufficient evidence, any further interven on of the Commission was not required in the ma er and for raising any ques on, the complainant was at liberty to do so before the court of competent jurisdic on. The Commission closed the ma er on 23 January 2023. 7.8 Environment, Climate change and Human Rights 7.8.1 Climate change is one of the greatest threats to the human rights of our genera on, posing a severe risk to the fundamental rights to life, health, food, and an adequate standard of living of individuals and communi es world- wide. It is notable to men on that India has made significant progress in the latest Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) in 2023, India's remarkable performance is a ributed to its ambi ous renewable energy policies and commitments, such as the pledge to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 and the target to meet 50% of its energy needs with renewable sources by 2030. The NHRC, also, has always played a pivotal role in upholding human rights and ensuring the right to a healthy environment within the country. 7.8.2 The NHRC issued an Advisory to the Centre and the State Governments to 'prevent, minimise and mi gate impacts of Environmental Pollu on and Degrada on on Human Rights'. The Advisory focuses on five key areas for ac on by the Centre and State Governments. These include, Punishment of polluters and violators of environmental laws; Preven on and minimisa on of vehicular pollu on; Processing of proposals seeking clearances/ approvals mandated by various environ- mental laws in an informed, transparent and non-par san manner; Measures required for development, promo on, propaga on and replica on of cost effec ve innova ve measures to prevent, minimise and mi gate environmental pollu on and degrada on and strengthening and capacity building of local bodies. The detailed advisory may 56 be accessed on the website of the Commission, i.e., www.nhrc.nic.in. 7.8.3 Environmentalist, Shri Sundaram Verma has introduced a water-saving method known as "Dryland Agroforestry," which enables the growth of a tree using just one liter of water throughout its en re lifespan. This innova ve approach has the poten al to significantly contribute to refores ng arid and barren landscapes, a substan al por on of the country. In recogni on of its poten al, Jus ce Shri Arun Mishra, Chairperson, NHRC, recommended to ac vely promote and disseminate this technique. In pursuit of this goal, the Commission distributed a comprehensive presenta on detailing the method to all states, urging them to undertake pilot projects covering a minimum of 20 hectares during the monsoon season. 7.8.4 Illustra ve Cases 1.) Embankment Collapse in Hindolakhal Claims Three Lives (Case No: 677/35/11/2020) The Commission received a complaint on 07 August 2020, from a resident of Dehradun, U arakhand. The complaint was related to a tragic incident that occurred on 31 July 2020. An embankment at the construc on site of the allweather road project in Hindolakhal on the RishikeshGangotri highway collapsed onto a house, resul ng in the loss of three lives. The homeowner sustained injuries, and the vic ms included his 8-year-old son, his 25-year-old daughter, and his 18-year-old niece. He had raised concerns about the embankment's danger to local authori es and the construc on company, but no protec ve measures were taken. The Commission took cognizance of the ma er on 25 August 2020. In response, they promptly directed the Chairman of the Na onal Highway Authority of India, located in New Delhi, and the District Magistrate of TehriGarhwal, U arakhand, to submit a comprehensive report within four weeks. On 21 September 2020, the Commission received a report from the Assistant Execu ve Engineer of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, New Delhi. The report Chapter 7 - Thematic Areas