Union Government launched the School Nursery Yojana, an initiative to bring students closer to nature. The Yojana seeks to engage class VI to IX in raising of saplings in nurseries created in schools.
The Yojana was launched by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.
The underlying theme of the Yojana is to plant a tree for sustainable future and to make the nation clean and green.
Urging every student to plant a tree each, Javadekar said that every school must earmark space to prepare a small nursery where the saplings could be planted.
The Minister also presented a sapling and a packet of seeds to students from each school for planting in their school. He exhorted the students to take the grown sapling planted by them along with their annual results to their homes.
About School Nursery Yojana
- The Yojana in its first phase would cover 1000 schools and would be extended to 5000 schools in 2016 and 10000 schools the following year.
- Under the Yojana, students will grow saplings as part of practical exercise for biology classes and extra-curriculum activities.
- Each school will initially receive first time financial grant of 25,000 rupees for creation of the nursery with essential facilities.
- The state forest departments will guide and provide technical support to schools under the scheme.