Chief minister Hemant Soren on Friday said he was not in favour of any development at the cost of the environment.

Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day summit on forest rights, energy conservation and sustainable development at Dr Ram Dayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute at Morabadi, Hemant said there was a need to understand the deep connection between man and nature.

“The association of human beings and nature is needed to be understood in the present context. Development cannot come at the cost of nature. One can prosper only by filling the gap between natural system and development,” Soren said.

Around 200 participants from different parts of the state besides welfare department secretary Himani Pandey, director of the institute Ranendra Kumar were present at the event.

The chief minister also listed forest conservation and sustainable development as his government’s top priorities.

“After the budget session in Assembly, the government will work in the direction of providing jobs to the unemployed by promoting value-addition in forest produces. People of Jharkhand have close association with forests,” Hemant said.

He said Jharkhand was blessed to have been endowed with such natural beauty.

“People spend lakhs to spend quality time in the lap of nature after being deprived of clean environment in big cities. There are many states such as Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Uttrakhand that are known for their natural beauty. We are lucky to have natural beauty and mineral resources in abundance,” the chief minister said, adding that the development should not tarnish the beauty of Jharkhand.

Hemant said amendments in forest laws should factor in the adverse impact they might have on sustainable development.

“I remember how police used to book those selling bamboo, mahua and amla in the market for violating laws,” he said.

The chief minister also praised the Odisha government for its initiatives on sustainable development with due attention to the conservation of forest.

“The Odisha government’s decision to use leaf plates to serve food in government functions is praiseworthy. It will not only generate employment opportunity, but also have positive impact on the environment,” Soren said.