PUNE: The state environment department has initiated 'Srushti Mitra Awards' to recognize innovative models, demonstrations, surveys and projects that students undertake in rural and urban areas on topics such as agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, energy, water, and traffic management.
The award is aimed at encouraging and fostering the creativity of people, especially school and college students, in addressing the issues of environmentally-sustainable and socially-just development.
The Centre for Environment Education (CEE), a centre of excellence of the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), will manage the award process with the environment department. The CEE has sent the poster on Srushti Mitra Award to 5,000 schools and colleges in all the districts of the state.
According to the CEE, the initiative intends to promote environmental awareness and to recognize and acknowledge initiatives by school, college students and others and to encourage them to take actions beneficial to the environment. The most inspiring and creative entries will be felicitated with citation and honorarium. The principals and teachers of schools and colleges can encourage their students and help them submit their entries for the award.
The entries for the Srushti Mitra Awards can be submitted under categories such as environment project, environment photograph, creative writing, environment slide show and logo with caption that should reflect the mission and work of the environment department.
The environment projects must be an action project done by school and college students on local environmental issues related to conservation and restoration. NGOs that have done such projects with students can also send their entries.
The entries could be reports on projects such as energy and water conservation, conservation of biodiversity, a natural area, green and open space, protection of natural resources such as rivers, lakes, ponds, hills, forest, garden, developing gardens of medicinal plant, rare trees, waste management, abatement of air, water, noise and soil pollution, stopping use of harmful chemicals such as pesticides, safe celebration of festivals, improving traffic conditions and safe access to school by students, encouraging walking, cycling and non-motorized modes of transport, promoting cleanliness and improving water and sanitation situations at school and neighbourhood, increasing social participation in local civic and social issues with authority.
Projects which will involve communities and have social and economic benefits will be given preference.
