Celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate 75 years of Independence, Sikkim ENVIS Hub at Forest and Environment Department observed an iconic week from October 4 to 10 in coordination with School Eco-clubs focusing on awareness to curb single use plastics. The weeklong event was launched at Forest Secretariat premise on October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti with signature campaign on green pledges followed by clean up drive.

A special online session for capacity building of 100 green teachers and eco-club in-charges was organized on October 5 in collaboration with Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. The webinar intended to provide the green teachers with completely updated information on all aspects of plastics as an environmental bug-bear, with a special focus on single-use plastics. It also facilitated an understanding of the scale of the problem of plastic wastes, especially single-use plastics and helped teachers take these learnings to their classrooms. Teachers were provided with presentations and tool kits. An online interactive online quiz amongst school eco-clubs was also held in which Namcheybong SS, Kaluk SSS and Pelling SSS secured first, second and third position respectively.

The Green teachers then conducted awareness drives for students and staff on the ill effects of single use plastics and undertook various activities on its alternative measures. The school eco-clubs further extended the campaign at homes and neighborhood through propagation of Green Good Deeds focusing on waste management, water conservation, wildlife conservation and practice of 3 ‘R’s - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The eco-clubs across the state conducted clean up drives and pick up drives of plastic litters. Lectures, poster making, essay writing, drawings and painting competitive events were organized by several school eco-clubs.

An online green pledge campaign was conducted weeklong in which over 50,000 responses from students and teachers from the state were recorded. Several schools also administered green pledges in physical presence of students and staff. The iconic week celebration culminated on Sunday with clean up drives by Eco-Club volunteers at school’s neighborhood.

The iconic week celebration also included state-side workshops, competitions for school children on wildlife conservation as a mark of Wildlife Week celebration during October 2-8 conciding in the week. The clean up and awareness drive at Tsomgo lake premises including constitition of Wetland Mitras was also undertaken as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav iconic week celebration by enaging several stakeholders, army, SSB and ITBP personnel.

The iconic week (Oct 4-10) was celebrated on direction of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). MoEFCC’s ENVIS Hub at Sikkim Forest and Environment Department has been coordinating the 75 weeks celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav w.e.f 12 March 2021 to 15 August 2022.

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