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Bhanu P Lohumi
The innovative “Mukhyamantri Harit Vidyalaya” campaign envisaging planting 1.30 lakh saplings in 19,495 schools can be a major booster for the efforts to combat global warming and climate change.
Under the 10-day long campaign, from August 7 to 16, launched with active participation of the Forest Department, Education Department and Himachal Board of School Education, five saplings each would be planted by students in10,520 government primary and 2,531 middle schools, while 929 government high schools and 1,861 government senior secondary schools would plant 10 saplings each.
Similarly, 1,222 schools affiliated to HPBSE and 2,432 recognised schools would also plant 10 plants each. The main objective of the campaign is to make schools green and make students aware of the disastrous effects of climate change and global warming and educate them about the need to preserve and expand the green cover, says officials of the Education Department.
The involvement of students right from primary to senior secondary level in the campaign would develop a sense of responsibility towards the forest wealth among students and they would also understand the need to hand over a greener plant to posterity.
Students would not only plant saplings, but also look after these to see these grow into trees and a sense of belonging and attachment with trees would usher in a new era. “Children who are students today, will in the next few decades become the ambassadors for the conservation of environment and ecology and afforestation programme, hitherto considered as official functions, would become people’s movement and threats of global warming and climate changes will be averted,” said Kishore Sharma, a government teacher.
The Forest Department is providing sufficient number of saplings to schools for plantation in forest and government lands, which would make the school premises and adjoining areas clean, healthy and congenial for studies and inculcate a feeling of reverence towards natural resources.
It would also help in preserving the natural sources of water, helping in the augmentation of drinking water supply and irrigation schemes and a sense of competition among students to save the green cover would play a catalytic role.
The responsibility to look after plants would be vested with the schools and two students from each house would be deputed to look after a plant. All plants would be named and given serial numbers and wooden or bamboo fence would be erected to save these from wild animals and assistance from the School Management Committee and alumni would be sought for this purpose.
The state government has launched several campaigns in the past to expand the green cover, but there was no discernable increase in the forest cover and the percentage of dense forests was low.
Schools to nurture saplings
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