The State Environment Department has deployed as many as 397 NGOs and other green bodies to carry out activities under the National Environment Awareness Campaign Programme (NEACP) on climate change, said Director-cum-Special Secretary of the department Bhagirathi Behera.

While attending the concluding session of the three-day workshop hosted by the Centre for Environmental Studies at the Regional Plant Resource Centre here, he said that for the financial year 2008-09, 32 NGOs are being engaged in Balangir, followed by 70 in Cuttack, six in Gajapati, 35 in Ganjam, 36 in Jagatsinghpur, 11 in Kalahandi, nine in Kandhamal, 81 in Khurda, 10 in Koraput, five in Malkangiri, 25 in Nayagarh, eight in Nuapada and 59 in Puri. Several schools, colleges and eco clubs have also been pressed into service, Behera informed.

He said the Union Forest and Environment Ministry has granted a sum of Rs 22.8 lakh for the purpose.

NGOs, schools, colleges and SHG groups have been doing an exemplary work to protect the environment in their immediate neighbourhood.

They have been planting trees, saving water bodies and learning environment through non-formal education.

Chief Conservator of Forests Siddhant Das, president of Orissa Environmental Society Dr SN Patra, Programme Officer PM Dash, scientist of CRRI, Cuttack, Dr Sudarsan Sasmal and Nayagarh DFO were among the resource persons who shared their views.

The NEACP, which has been launched in a massive scale in the State, was started in 1986.

The Centre for Environmental Studies under the Forest and Environment Department is the Regional Resource Agency of the programme.