Rajasthan Engineering Colleges Make Planting 1 Tree & Digging Ponds Compulsory For All Students

The destruction of forest cover has brought the country to the brink of environmental disaster. Deforestation, pollution, climate change, and old-fashioned human carelessness are wreaking havoc on the environment and it's high time people and governments took stock of things.

To fight this menace, the Rajasthan government has ordered a plantation drive under which every new student in state-run engineering colleges in the state will have to plant a tree in the campus at the start of every academic session.

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According to reports, the government of the state has ordered that every new student taking admission in any state-run engineering college must plant at least one tree, revive depleting groundwater by digging ponds and dedicate every week to clean up their college campus.

The tree plantation drive is among the four initiatives taken for eco-conservation on engineering campuses. The other three include water conservation, cleanliness, and events on Gandhian philosophy.

"Each new student in government engineering colleges of Rajasthan will plant a tree in the campus this academic session and will look after the trees until they graduate,¡± technical education minister Dr Subhash Garg told Hindustan Times.

Garg said that college students along with their faculty will be encouraged to do ¡®shram daan¡¯ to contribute to the construction of ponds, bunds, or other structures that can collect rainwater within the campus and help recharge the groundwater table.

¡°We firmly believe that Gandhi¡¯s philosophy should be taught even in engineering colleges but for now, under the 150th birth anniversary celebrations, we have asked the colleges to organize debate competitions on the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi,¡± he said.

Dr Subhash Garg also urged principals of engineering colleges and vice chancellors of Rajasthan Technical University and Bikaner Technical University to focus on more student-oriented schemes.

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Speaking to Better India, State Secretary, Technical Education Department, Vaibhav Galriya, said that department of technical education holds regular meetings with the principals of various colleges to come up with plans for infrastructure and environmental development in institutions.

"By September, we will distribute about Rs 30 crores to help strengthen their infrastructure. Part of the project funding will be allocated for eco-conservation activities within their campuses," Vaibhav Galriya told the Better India.

¡°The department will development Centre for e-Governance (CEG) in Jaipur as the nodal centre for training and placement, and set up ¡®Vidyarthi Sewa Kendras¡¯ at each college for students to get their documents (such as mark sheets and migration certificates) from the college itself instead of going to the headquarters of Rajasthan Technical University in Kota,¡± Dr Garg added.

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Rajasthan is probably the first state to follow this unique model to restore the environment for a better future. We hope that other educational institutions follow suit, with every such step we are only treading the path of a better more healthy and secure future.

In line with the Rajasthan initiative to conserve the environment was Philippines that had passed a landmark new law in May this year which required all high school and college students to plant at least 10 trees if they want to graduate school or college.

The 'Graduation Legacy for the Environment Act', was passed on May 15 by Gay Alejano, the Magdalo Party representative.

A prominent intent behind the implementation of this law is to help the country heal after massive deforestation ravaged flora and fauna.