Tamil Nadu - Salem   

Isha Foundation plans to plant 11 crore saplings

Staff Reporter

Two-day Isha Gramotsav 2006 concludes

SALEM : The two-day Isha Gramotsav 2006, organised by the Isha Foundation, concluded here on Sunday.

More than 20,000 people participated in the festival, organised to promote rural sports, arts and crafts and local cuisines through Rural Olympics, food festival and music and dance performances.

Addressing media persons here on Sunday, Founder of the Isha Foundation Jaggi Vasudev said the Foundation planned to plant around 11 crore saplings in the next five years to increase green cover. This task could not be carried single-handedly.

People should work with the Foundation to complete the task, he said. The Foundation would establish modern schools in 207 taluks in the State. All the schools would start functioning within five years.

Earlier, inaugurating the festival on Saturday evening, State Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam said that protecting the environment and improving the health of people, particularly those in villages were necessary for the development of a nation.

Highlighting the advantages of yoga, he said youth should be encouraged to learn yoga, and take part in various sports. Appreciating the services of Isha Foundation for the people in the rural areas, the Minister said the Foundation was providing free medicine to rural people.

It was also providing yoga training to children in rural areas. Thousands of people had benefited from the Foundation's action for rural rejuvenation programme, he said.

Former director of CBI D.R. Kaarthikeyan stressed the need for ensuring good prices to the produce of farmers, and the implementation of crop insurance properly. Stating that farmers in the country were neglected, he pointed out to the increase in the migration of people from rural to the urban areas.

Programmes depicting the ethos of Indian villages were performed. Food and products of villages were available in various stalls at the programme. Sports events such as volleyball, cycling and kabbadi for both men and women were organised during the last day of the festival. A mahasathsang was also held.

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