Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s three ministers have called upon the people to gift plants instead of bouquets to their relatives, friends and known persons on the occasion of New Year.
Minister of Law, Works and Excise Prithviraj Harichandan, Minister for Forest, Environment & Climate Change and Labour Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia and Minster of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Higher Education and Sports & Youth Services Suryabanshi Suraj made the appeal at a press conference organised by the Bakul Foundation in Bhubaneswar.
Sujit Mahapatra, founder of Bakul Foundation, said more than 1 lakh bouquets are given in New Year greetings only in Bhubaneswar and a few lakhs across the state. Even if 1% of those decide to gift plants, it would mean 1000 plants living and growing and helping the planet.
He spoke about 15 years of the My Tree Campaign, which promoted tree plantation as a cultural practice and Bakul’s initiatives of promoting gifting at personal and public events such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and festivals such as Diwali and Raksha Bandhan.
He mentioned that the Twin Tree Campaign in which Bakul gifts plants to parents of newborn babies so that the tree and the child grow up as twins. He also referred to the Smriti Van started 10 years back.
Minister Harichandan said he was grateful to Bakul Foundation and its partners for suggesting inclusion of Climate Action in the BJP election manifesto. “Normally the Works Department’s action is considered as most damaging to environment. But one should not forget the steps being taken by his department to be environment friendly by recycling plastic waste in road construction and replanting mature trees if they had to be removed,” he added.
The Minister appreciated Bakul’s campaign to gift plants instead of bouquets and said it had become a practice for the people to greet officers and leaders with flower bouquets on the New Year. But those become useless in a few hours. He urged everyone to gift plants instead of bouquets so that it would become a new cultural practice.
Minister Khuntia highlighted the environmental crisis and said Odisha was rich in biodiversity and tree cover. “if we want to return Odisha to its former ecological paradise by 2036, a movement involving people needs to start. This campaign by Bakul Foundation to create intimate bonding between individuals and trees could lead to that movement,” he said.
Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said, “When we cut a tree, we should feel that we are hurting Lord Jagannath, and similarly when we plant a tree, we should feel that it is an offering to the Lord.” He also requested everyone to gift plants in the New Year.
