Governor P. Sathasivam has called upon the public to protect the environment for the sake of future generations.
Inaugurating the State-level celebration of World Environment Day at Nishagandhi Auditorium here on Monday, Mr. Sathasivam said society had grown more aware of their responsibility in this regard. He said along with planting trees, citizens should also nurture and maintain them. Students, in particular, should take part in the planting of saplings, he said.
Stress on lifestyle
Mr. Sathasivam stressed on the importance of environment-friendly lifestyle, such as the use of steel utensils instead of plastic ones. The Raj Bhavan had set a precedent for this, he said, through the prohibition of plastic bottles and the use of pipe water.
The Governor said that saplings such as medicinal plants and fruit-bearing trees such as mango and jackfruit that benefit the local population should be planted. He flagged off the celebrations by planting an ilanji sapling on the Kanakakkunnu palace premises.
Forest Minister K. Raju, who presided over the function, said the Forest Department would no longer distribute saplings of acacia and eucalyptus species owing to their invasive nature.
The Governor distributed awards for contributions to the field of environment protection.
The recipients included environmental activists Sugathakumari and C.K. Karunakaran, and the Institute of Foresters.
Mayor V.K. Prasanth, district panchayat president V.K. Madhu, Principal Chief Forest Conservator S.C. Joshi, and Environment and Climate Change Department Director Padma Mahanthi were present.
The Governor also led the planting of a variety of saplings on the Raj Bhavan premises, including jackfruit, coconut, curry leaf, and neem.
Centre’s pat
The Kerala government’s monumental initiative to plant one-crore saplings this World Environment Day invited the praise of Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan. In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, he lauded the efforts of all government and non-government agencies and volunteers who contributed to the initiative. He also congratulated Mr. Vijayan for leading the efforts.
