<h1>Finance Minister discusses balancing ecological preservation with development aspirations amid extreme weather challenges</h1> The Union Finance Minister addressed the challenge of balancing ecological preservation with development aspirations during an interactive session in a northeastern state. She emphasized that extreme weather events have become normalized, with flash floods and intense rainfall now occurring within single days rather than spread across months. The minister stressed that development decisions in ecologically sensitive regions should be locally driven, questioning whether communities aspiring to better lives should be denied development entirely. She highlighted the global nature of this climate-development debate, noting the upcoming climate summit in Brazil's Amazon region. The minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to participatory policy-making, simplifying tax frameworks, and enhancing financial system accessibility while working closely with stakeholders for region-specific governance solutions.