Assam Launches ₹1.5-Crore Sapling Plantation Drive With Over 22 Lakh Students Under 'Brikshya Bandhu' Initiative
Assam has launched the four-day Brikshya Bandhu plantation drive under the Amrit Brikshya Andolan, involving over 22 lakh students from 11,277 institutions. Students will plant more than 1.5 crore saplings across the state. The initiative includes geo-tagged monitoring of sapling growth and aims to build long-term environmental responsibility.
Assam Launches ₹1.5-Crore Sapling Plantation Drive With Over 22 Lakh Students Under 'Brikshya Bandhu' Initiative | X - jayanta_malla
Guwahati, August 11: More than 22 lakh students from Class VI onwards will plant over 1.5 crore saplings across Assam during a four-day statewide plantation drive launched under the ‘Brikshya Bandhu’ initiative on Tuesday.
Environment & Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah ceremonially launched the initiative at Damodardev International Auditorium, Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Panjabari, Guwahati.
The plantation drive will continue from August 11 to 14 as part of the Amrit Brikshya Andolan.
The initiative has brought together 11,277 educational institutions across the state, with 21,28,495 students already registered for the drive. The Forest Department has distributed 1.57 crore saplings to participating educational institutions so far.
Seven educational institutions took part in the central launch programme in Guwahati, while students and institutions across the state joined the programme through online platforms.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Baruah thanked the students, teachers, Education Department, officials of the Forest Department and all others associated with the initiative. He said the programme would help increase tree cover while developing a lasting sense of responsibility among the younger generation towards planting, protecting and nurturing trees.
The initiative also has a system to monitor the survival of planted saplings. With technical support from AMTRON, students will upload geo-tagged photographs of their planted saplings on the Amrit Brikshya Andolan portal. A second photograph will be uploaded after six months, around January during the time of Magh Bihu, to record the growth and survival of the trees.
Students who successfully complete the process will receive an online Brikshya Bandhu certificate, recognising them as Friends of Trees.
Baruah said the plantation drive had been designed as a six-month journey rather than a one-day activity, stressing that planting a sapling was only the beginning. He appealed to students to nurture and protect the saplings so that the maximum possible number survive.
He also said the Forest Department plans to prepare around a crore indigenous fruit-bearing saplings, including mango, jamun, leteku, paniyal and jackfruit, for a larger plantation initiative called ‘Folbari’ by next April.
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu highlighted the growing impact of climate change and said extreme weather events underline the need for collective action to protect the environment.
Referring to the importance of green cover, Pegu said tree plantation is one of the most significant actions ordinary citizens can undertake to contribute towards addressing climate-related challenges.
He appealed to students to nurture saplings with the same care with which they protect young birds, ensuring that the plants grow strong before being established at suitable locations.
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The ‘Brikshya Bandhu’ initiative is being launched as a four-day state-wide plantation drive leading up to Independence Day, reaffirming Assam’s collective commitment to nature conservation.
More than 22 lakh students across the state will undertake the plantation of over 1.5 crore saplings as part of the drive.
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