Delhi govt directs schools to set up seed banks

New Delhi: In an attempt to encourage the students to plant trees in public areas, the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government has directed all the schools in the national capital to establish seed banks in their premises.

In a communication sent to all the schools, the directorate of education (DoE) has asked them to conduct the exercise through their eco-clubs.

“You are hereby requested to set up seed banks where students will be oriented to save every seed possible and plant and nurture them in creative, recycled pots and ultimately plant them in public places during the monsoon,” it said.

For the initiative, the AAP government has joined hands with an NGO, “We Plant”, which has initiated a campaign — “save a million seeds this summer”.

The mission of the NGO is to plant mango trees in and around the NCT of Delhi with an aim to change the flora and fauna and make fruits available and accessible for the poor. “Students could also save neem, jamun, and other seeds of fruits deposited in the seed banks,” it added.

The Delhi government also provides financial assistance to schools for various environment frie-ndly action oriented programmes including rain water harvesting, waste paper recycling machine, solar water heating system, vermicompost set up, and solar signages.

Schools have welcomed this decision as they feel it would make students sensitive about the environment.

“Encouraging students to plant trees is very much the need of the hour as this would help them learn about how important fruit trees are to our health and the planet. We are happy that schools will be able to move a step towards creating a sustainable world with this initiative,” Nat-asha Garg, a teacher from St. Mary’s School, said.

Even students believe that by engaging in planting trees they would be able to receive environmental education in a much better way.