Children come forth as 'green army'

Aizawl, Jun 4 (UNI) With concern over the rapid rate at which the environment is depleting, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest will enhance the National Green Corps (NGC).

Explaining the importance of the NGC, Ministry of Environment and Forest Deputy Secretary Dr Uday Shankar told mediapersons here today, ''What we should do with our environment depends on our attitude. The only way to change the attitude of more than 100 crore people of India is to start from the children. They don't have vested interest, they are easy to be convinced and they are the future.'' The NGC aims at spreading awareness among school giving environment awareness among school students about environment and setting up of eco-clubs in the schools.

Initially, the NGC had planned to set up eco-clubs in 100 schools in all the districts across India which have been implemented in the states and the Union Territories.

Impressed by the success, the ministry has increased the capacity to 150 schools for one district and Rs 1000 to Rs 2500 per year has been allocated to each club.

The number of eco-clubs in the Mizoram has reached 1108 and it is still growing.

Some of the districts have less than 100 schools as a result of which there are more than 350 eco-clubs in Aizawl district alone, Mizoram Pollution Control Board officials informed.

The activities of the eco-clubs in Mizoram include observing green day, environment day, earth day, pollution prevention day and making eco gardens, conducting awareness campaigns, including poster campaigns, seminars, quiz and debate shows and cleanliness drives.

Mr Shankar was on a visit to the state to monitor the implementation of the programme.

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