Karnataka - Bangalore   

Making forests out of schools

Bangalore: Making children an active part of environment protection activities is the Children’s Forest Programme in Karnataka organised by Organisation for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement – International (OISCA-International).

The programme, which is in the pipeline and is due to be launched in the next three months, is a three-year programme in association with the Forest Department and assisted by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

It is designed to involve children from the sixth to 10th standard through mass tree planting.

In each school, 100 saplings will be planted and protected.

“The saplings will be provided by the Forest Department. OISCA-International is coordinating the project,” says Rajeev Balakrishnan B.E, Coordinator, Children’s Forest Programme, Karnataka.

The programme will include planting six to eight feet tall saplings to ensure sustainability of the plantation.

Competitions, classes, seminars, case studies, nature study tours and camps are part of the programme and the expenses will be met by the project fund.

While 200 schools from Bangalore rural, Bangalore urban, Ramanagara and Mysore districts are meant to be part of the project, there is a minimum requirement that they have to meet.

The schools need to have a minimum of one acre of land for plantation, apart from the school building and playground and other campus fixtures.

Adequate facility for watering and maintenance is important.

Finally, a compound or fencing facility to protect the plants from cattle and trespassers is also important.

“The first year will entail planning and planting of saplings.

In the second and third year, the focus will be on taking care of the growing plants,” says Mr. Balakrishnan.

Schools interested in being part of the programme can submit their willingness letter to oiscaindia@gmail.com, or call Mr. Balakrishnan on 09844019891 or T. Thippey Swamy on 09448773319.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

‘Theyyam and Bhuta rituals are two sides of a coin’
Welcomed
Don’t feed them, just let them be
Seven killed in road accident
A launch that sizzled
Ray of hope for poor young diabetics
Making forests out of schools
Rainwater harvesting catching on in city
Traffic still a bugbear for old Airport Road users
Police station site now host to peepal tree
Murdered
Seven killed, five injured as MUV collides with bus
Traffic diversion
Coming together to oppose the ban on live bands
Appeal to Chidambaram
‘Dowry’ pressure claims lives of mother, infant
Man held on cheating charge CRIME NOTES
‘Connoisseurs should help in the promotion of arts’
They are good friends in need
Urbanisation not caused by migration alone, says Thakur
In Bangalore Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu