Over 22 lakh students join ‘Brikshya Bandhu’ plantation drive in Guwahati

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah on Tuesday launched the ‘Brikshya Bandhu’ initiative at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati, marking the beginning of a four-day statewide plantation drive involving more than 22 lakh students.

Under the initiative, students from Class VI onwards will plant over 1.5 crore saplings across Assam from August 11 to 14 as part of the Amrit Brikshya Andolan. The drive involves 11,277 educational institutions, with 21,28,495 students already registered. The Forest Department has distributed 1.57 crore saplings to participating institutions.

The initiative also introduced a system to monitor sapling survival. Students will upload geo-tagged photographs of the planted saplings on the Amrit Brikshya Andolan portal and submit a second photograph after six months to record their growth. Students completing the process will receive online Brikshya Bandhu certificates.

Mallabaruah urged students to nurture and protect the saplings, stressing that plantation should be treated as a long-term responsibility rather than a one-day activity.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu also highlighted the need for collective action to address climate change and urged students to ensure the saplings survived and grew.

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