Minister of State for Education and External Affairs, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh today interacted with the Heads, teachers and students of the Higher Education Institutions across the country on the occasion of World Environment Day 2023. Secretary, Higher Education Shri K. Sanjay Murthy; Chairman, UGC, Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar; Chairman, AICTE, Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Prof.  Anil Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman, NETF were present on this occasion along with Vice Chancellors and Directors of Institutions of Higher Education.

The event started after observing one minute silence to mourn the death of victims of train accident in Odisha.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh said that the celebration of World Environment Day across the country envisages involvement of youth in spreading the message of LiFE, along with sensitizing school going children and others about LiFE.

The Minister informed that in the National Statement at United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) CoP 26 Global Leaders’ Summit in Glasgow, the Prime Minister’s mantra was Lifestyle for Environment, and he also stressed upon setting a target for Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2030. On 20th October 2022 the Prime Minister launched Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), a global movement to safeguard our environment from the impact of climate change. LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) is an India-led global mass movement for “mindful and deliberate utilization, instead of mindless and destructive consumption” to protect and preserve the environment.

Dr. Singh informed that on the occasion AICTE will launch “One Student One Tree Campaign 2023. UGC too has taken initiatives for creating awareness about Mission LiFE.

He also urged HEIs to undertake activities such as aawareness workshops on sustainable practices on Mission LiFE and promoting LiFE Actions, making College and University Campuses plastic free, making campus Digital Campus and avoid use of paper, avoid food wastage in Hostels and Cafeterias, making manure from compost of dried leaves/ food waste/ organic waste, organizing bicycle rallies / plastic collection / water body cleaning activities during the course of scheduled events, etc

On this occasion, Dr. Singh after releasing ‘Guidelines and Curriculum Framework for Environmental Education at Undergraduate level’, stated that it is an important step in line with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which underlines the importance of making environmental education an integral part of curricula and encouraging environmental awareness and sensitivity towards its conservation and sustainable development. The guidelines include areas such as climate change, pollution, waste management, sanitation, conservation of biological diversity, management of biological resources and biodiversity, forest and wildlife conservation, and sustainable development. The document is expected to cater to students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and to sensitise them about the commitment of our nation towards achieving sustainable development goals and addressing global environmental challenges, he added.

The Minister urged all to adopt these guidelines in the course curriculum at the UG level and also take steps for achieving the objectives of ‘Mission LiFE’ thereby protecting the mother earth from the adverse impact of the environmental degradation.

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 The Southern Naval Command observed World Environment Day on 05 Jun 23 with ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ as the theme and waste segregation, plastic waste removal, afforestation and mangrove restoration as focus areas.

Pursuant to the global campaign of keeping coastlines clean, around 3000 Naval personnel, defence civilians and families of Southern Naval Command undertook mass clean-up drives of beaches, harbours and waterfront areas of Mahatma Gandhi Beach, Fort Kochi Beach, Puthuvype Beach, Puthenthode Beach, Vypin Beach, Cherai Beach, Marine Drive, Queen’s Walkway, Bolgatty and CoPT walkway at Kochi city. Around 4700 kg of plastic and non-biodegradable waste was collected during the campaign. In addition, a 2 km stretch of the Venduruthy channel was also cleaned while restoring about 1 lakh sq m of mangroves along the channel’s banks.

Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, PVSM, AVSM, NM Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command along with Mrs Madhumati Hampiholi, President, Naval Wives Wellness Association (Southern Region) participated in the clean-up drive at Fort Kochi beach along with SNC Parivaar. The beach cleanship drive also saw motivated participation by recently joined Agniveers, NCC cadets, school children and families from ICICI Foundation. Hon’ble Mayor Adv M Anilkumar, Kochi Municipal Corporation also graced the occasion with his presence. Speaking to the media team present at the beach, C-in-C South reaffirmed the Indian Navy’s commitment and continued efforts towards environment conservation, green initiatives and energy efficient practices. He also highlighted the various initiatives undertaken as part of environment friendly month in May-Jun 23 and Puneet Sagar Abhiyan at Kochi city. He urged each one to adopt Mission LiFE- Lifestyle for Environment approach towards a sustainable and healthier future.

As part of the Environment Day, more than 1600 saplings were planted by the participants from different Naval units at Kochi. In addition, community awareness/ public outreach programmes, painting and ‘best-of-waste’ competitions, lectures, workshops/ seminars etc were also organised centred around the theme and Mission LiFE. Other outstation naval units located at Jamnagar, Lonavla, Chilka, Coimbatore, Goa, Ezhimala and Malad (Mumbai) also enthusiastically conducted similar events with all out efforts towards making a tangible impact in environment conservation and cleaning.

Children of the Navy Children Schools and KVs in Southern Naval Command also actively participated in the event through conduct of special assembly, educative skits, environmental quiz, seminars, slogan writing, poster making and painting competitions.

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 On the occasion of the World Environment Day (05th June 2023), Ministry of Coal and Coal PSUs have organized numerous programs to encourage employees and local communities to embrace sustainable and Eco-Friendly Lifestyles in line with the LiFE activities envisioned by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The LiFE campaign aims to prioritize individual actions in combating climate change. It encourages people to make small but significant changes in their daily lives, such as reducing plastic consumption, minimizing food waste, energy saving, recycling of waste and using public transportation.

Coal Sector under the aegis of Ministry of Coal has actively undertaken a range of sustainable and environmentally friendly initiatives aligned with LiFE actions. These initiatives include strategic efforts in land amelioration and afforestation, effective management of air quality and noise, emission reduction, gainful utilization of mine water for community purposes, implementation of energy-efficient measures, sustainable utilization of overburden and development of Eco Parks and Mine Tourism.

Glimpses of LiFE Activities taken by Coal/Lignite PSUs

During the last two weeks over 200 awareness campaigns/programs have been organized by Coal PSUs to promote and adopt LiFE actions in day-to-day life. These programs encompass a wide array of activities  such as raising awareness about the 5R principles of Waste Reduction (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair & Recycle), hosting informative discussions on the significance of diverse tree species found in coal regions through the “Know Your Tree” initiative, emphasizing the importance of sustainable food systems, distributing fruit-bearing plants/saplings and eco-friendly jute bags, organizing essay writing competitions on the theme of “Lifestyle for Environment,” promoting creative endeavors like the Best out of Waste Competition, Quiz competition, Extempore Competition, Speech Competition, Cyclathon  etc.

Additional activities like conducting plastic waste collection drives within and around office premises to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of Single-Use Plastic on the environment, organizing e-waste collection drives, facilitating pond cleaning activities, hosting seminars on “Home Composting,” & LiFE Actions were also held.

All senior officers, employees of the Ministry of Coal and Coal PSUs have also administered the pledge dedicated to Mission LiFE.

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