The Kudumbasree District Mission has sought the help of National Service Scheme (NSS) units in the district to boost its ‘Green Clean Kozhikode Project’ and to overcome problems caused due to digital divide.
The Green Clean Kozhikode Project, launched in 2016 with the help of GCEM (Green Clean Earth Movement) Foundation, encouraged Kudumbasree workers to plant saplings and to upload selfies with them on the GCEM website every month for the purpose of documentation.
The participants were offered attractive prices, like gold coins, through a monthly lucky dip, besides contests like taking care of source-level waste management units, managing organic vegetable gardens, gardening, and terrace farming for those who uploaded photographs. The contest and lucky dip were introduced to ensure the sustainability of the project and to keep everyone interested.
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Ironically, Kudumasree workers could not upload pictures, as many were yet to learn the nuances of the digital world. “The workers did plant saplings and also recorded their growth through monthly selfies. But very few of them actually uploaded pictures online. Hence, most of them were excluded from the competition and lucky dip,” said Kudumbasree District Mission Coordinator P.C. Kavitha.
The involvement of NSS volunteers is expected to solve the issue. “The volunteers will be part of the programme by planting and nurturing saplings and taking part in competitions. They will also train Kudumbasree workers in uploading photographs,” Ms. Kavitha added.
The National Service Scheme College Cell and School Cell were inducted into the programme at a function held at Pantheerankavu on Monday. The District Panchayat has extended its support to the programme. Actor Surabhi Lakhmi is the brand ambassador.
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The organisers also plan to take the project to other districts if it succeeds in Kozhikode. It also aims at a world record of 20 lakh people posting photographs of the plants they take care of. In a larger context, the GCEM Foundation plans to set a world record of planting and nurturing one crore saplings across the State as a contribution towards the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).