Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

More eco clubs to be created in schools

Staff Reporter

Union Ministry of Environment and Forests is keen on increasing the number from 72,000 to one lakh

REVIEW: Uday Shankar, Deputy Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, interacting with Eco Club members of RC Higher Secondary School in Tiruchi on Thursday. School Headmaster Rev. Fr. R. Manokaradoss looks on. — Photo: R.Ashok.

TIRUCHI: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests is keen on increasing the number of eco clubs in schools in the country to one lakh from 72,000, its Deputy Secretary Uday Shankar said on Thursday.

The concept that took shape with the commencement of National Green Corps during 2001-2002 has been serving the purpose of sensitising the students to adoption of good environmental practices, he told presspersons here on Thursday.

The Ministry has been sanctioning Rs. 2,500 a year to each of the 250 schools per district, which have started Eco Clubs. About 600 districts in the country have been covered under the programme.

A total of 50 students constituting the core group in each institution should undertake Eco Club activities for enhancing awareness of environmental safeguard and upkeep among their peers and respective family circles.

Supplying badges and caps to members of Eco Clubs was on the agenda of the Ministry, he said, and urged the institutions to organise events on days of environmental significance such as Earth Day, Pollution Prevention Day and World Forestry Day.

"The purpose of my visit is to review the implementation of the programme so as to align it as per the need-based changes for the 11th Five Year Plan," said Mr. Uday Shankar.

He interacted with students at the R.C. Higher secondary school, Mannachanallur Higher Secondary School and Tiruvasi Adi Dravidar Higher Secondary School to study the activities undertaken by the Eco Clubs before holding a discussion with the Deputy Director, Directorate of Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu.

A. Gregory, Project Director, Voice Trust, and Coordinator, Environmental Awareness, Tiruchi District, accompanied him.

The R.C. Higher Secondary School earned the praise of Mr. Uday Kumar for having an Eco-Lab, a nursery garden for herbal plants, and a tree bank under the aegis of National Green Corps. A rainwater harvesting system is also in place.

The laboratory, according to the Head Master Rev. Fr. R. Manokaradoss, performs the functions of gathering information on environmental subjects.

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