Cuttack, March 6: Former Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh today emphasised on the need for economic growth "hand in hand" with environmental protection.

He said that the process of economic growth needed to be inclusive. However, that growth would not be sustainable if it imposed intolerable burden on natural resources, he said.

"If we do not take care of nature, it will hit back and there will be a colossal tragedy," Ramesh said, while delivering the 4th Bibudhendra Misra Memorial Lecture at the Heritage Hall of Ravenshaw University this evening.

The lecture was on ecology, growth and democracy. Ramesh said the present warranted a marriage between the economic objective of growth, the ecological objective of environment and the political objective of democracy.

"We cannot take growth and environmental protection hand in hand if we ignore the basic democratic reality of India," he said.

He also said that the growth model adopted by developed nations was not applicable to India because of its demography, climatic patterns, various other vulnerabilities, and the intrinsic relationship of environment with livelihood.

Ramesh was of the view that India would have to worry about its future generations while using its mineral resources because it would add up 40 crore population to its present 125 crores in the next 35 years.

He said India is most vulnerable to climate change owing to 60 per cent of its population depending on rains for agriculture.

He described the late Bibudhendra Mishra as "a handsome politician and a multifaceted personality" who was a freedom fighter and a legal luminary.