Swachhata Hi Seva: DARE-ICAR Launches Special Initiative to Raise Awareness Among School Children

The Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) are conducting the 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign through their various institutes and branches nationwide. The primary objective of this campaign is to promote public awareness regarding cleanliness, sanitation, and the environment. Through these initiatives, citizens, and particularly school children, are being encouraged to adopt cleanliness and eco-friendly habits.

Under this campaign, DARE-ICAR and institutions in the North Eastern region have initiated several activities in educational institutions and local communities to connect students with the values of environmental conservation.

In North Sikkim, a team of experts from the ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), Guwahati, undertook an initiative to make students aware of the importance of sustainable waste management. During this program, students were taken to the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of North Sikkim, where they were explained cleaning methods and the process of vermicomposting. Through this, students learned how organic waste can be converted into useful compost.

Similarly, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ri Bhoi, operating under the ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region in Meghalaya, conducted a cleanliness drive in the villages surrounding the center and along the roadsides. Local residents actively participated in this campaign along with the organization's employees, spreading a message of community participation and collective responsibility.

The network of DARE-ICAR and its institutions is ensuring that the message of cleanliness is not limited only to the institutes but reaches students and common citizens, thereby promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices at the grassroots level.