IMPHAL, July 31: A one-day long workshop under the National Environment Awareness Campaign, 2012-13 held on the theme “Bio-Diversity Conservation’’ and ‘’Plantation of School Herbal Garden’’ organised by the Volunteers for Scientific Action on Rural Development (VOSARD) was held today at the hall of Lamding Model High School.
The workshop organised under the aegis of Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India was also followed by a medicinal plantation drive in the school’s campus.
It was attended by N Rajmohon, prof Dept of Chemistry, MU and president of ADAM, Kakching as chief guest, Dr A Guneshwor Sharma, officer of AYUSH and ex-member of Manipur State Medicinal Plant Board, Medical Directorate as president and M Munal Singh, headmaster of Lamdeng Model Higher School and N Chandra, president of VOSARD as guests of honour.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Rajmohon stated that there is a need to preserve beauty of nature of the environment by all and for this the Supreme Court had passed a ruling indicating to include such knowledge in the school’s curriculum in order to educate students on the subject matter.
While citing Article No 48-A enshrined in the Indian Constitution which says that one should safeguard tree, forest and beauty of the nature, the professor said in protecting and preserving such entities, tradition and culture of a land also shouldered huge responsibilty but despite the efforts of people, certain medicinal plants which are rarely found in the State are being transported outside the State illegally thereby posing a huge threat to the survival of such plants.
VOSARD’s secretary L Manao said the decade-2011 to 2020 has been announced as the “Decade of Bio-Diversity’’ by United Nations adding that the main goal is to save plants and animals from extinction by making them stay together in a specific place.
He further said according to the Bio-Diversity Act, 2002, there is provision to safeguard the entities, to maintain its quantity and to avail benefits to public equally.