Former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Chosen as India's First "Paryavaran Ambassador" by Children

New Delhi - December 9, 2009: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has been chosen the "Bharat ka Paryavaran Ambassador" in a campaign conducted in 2 00,000 schools in India. This poll was part of the CO2 Pick Right- Kaun Banega Bharat Ka Paryavaran Ambassador Programme conducted by the Centre for Environment Education in partnership with ArcelorMittal, for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

In this nation-wide campaign conducted over a period of 18 months, over 70,000 schools have sent in their votes. Children had voted for their teachers, environmentalists, and celebrities. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam emerged as the most popular choice of the children.

Dr. Kalam was felicitated by Shri Jairam Ramesh, Hon'ble Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Government of India at a function in the capital today. This is perhaps the first unique election ever conducted in India where children have been asked to choose an ambassador who would be a spokesperson on sustainable choices that we all need to make. It is also interesting to note how children voted for a leader after coming to a consensus on the choice at their schools.

The Pick Right campaign was originally conceptualized to be conducted in 100,000 schools which were already a part of the MoEF's National Green Corps Programme. This was later extended to reach to 200,000 schools. This was possible with the partnership and support of ArcelorMittal which is supporting the CEE's work in the area of climate change and sustainability issues for the next three years. "We are delighted to be part of an awareness campaign that will help prepare and build over 20 million future 'green leaders' in India. Environmental sustainability is a key value to ArcelorMittal. This unique project that connects our board room to classrooms all over India will strengthen our commitment to a better tomorrow" said, Mr.Vijay Bhatnagar, CEO India & China, ArcelorMittal.

The campaign was launched on World Environment Day (WED) last year by Hon'ble President of India, Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil. The campaign was conducted in 15 languages. It involved preparation of educational material to spread awareness about climate change, its causes and effects and individuals choosing the best options for sustainable development.

Over 200 meetings, training and workshops were held in various locations of the country. This involved one to one interaction and discussions with teachers, representatives of non governmental organizations associated with schools and children themselves followed by voting. CEE's 7 regional cells and the UNDP- Global Environment Facility- Small grants programme network of over 100 NGOs made this large-scale implementation possible.

Source : Equity Bulls

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