Wetland Conservation Awareness Camp Held
Kakatpur (Tushar Dixit), 12/1 — A day-long Wetland Conservation Awareness Camp was organized at Ramakrishna Sishu Mandir in Mahadevabasta village under Kakatpur Block, with financial assistance from the Centre for Environmental Studies (CES) under the Department of Forest, Environment & Climate Change, Government of Odisha.
Students, teachers, volunteers, and staff participated in a large awareness rally that started from the school premises and proceeded to the nearby Panchayat pond. Upon reaching the site, an awareness meeting on wetland conservation was conducted.
Pandit Banabihari Grahacharya attended as the chief guest, while CES senior official Bharat Charan Jena addressed the gathering as the keynote speaker. He explained the importance of wetland conservation, the protection of natural resources, and the benefits of leading a healthy and eco-conscious life, using various real-life examples to raise awareness among the participants.
The camp, presided over by eminent educator Akshaya Kumar Swain, also featured a drawing competition on wetland conservation for students, where outstanding participants were awarded prizes.
With support from CES, the Panchayat pond was cleaned, and several medicinal and ecological plants such as Baula, Neem, Karanja, Harida, and Amla were planted along the embankment.
In appreciation of the successful implementation of the program, CES representative Mr. Jena expressed gratitude to the Principal of Ramakrishna Sishu Mandir, Rajalakshmi Sahu, as well as to all teachers and Secretary Suryakanta Dalai.
The event concluded with the singing of the national song “Vande Mataram.”