BENGALURU: Forest Ecology and Environment Minister Ramanath Rai has announced that the children of forest department martyrs, who laid down their lives while protecting the forests, will be awarded scholarship from this year. After paying tribute to martyrs of the department, the minister said that scholarships will be given to students in high schools and to those pursuing higher education. “We wanted to do something for the children of parents who laid down their lives. The forest department has collected a fund of `20 lakh from donations. The state government will contribute a bit for this. This will help in their education,” he said.
He also said that recording of ‘Kanana Senanigalu’ (Warriors of Forests), a film on IFS officer Srinivasan who was killed 21 years ago, is nearly complete and the CDs will soon be released. Narrating how the Bishnoi community were martyred while protecting the trees on this day, centuries ago, Rai said Martyr’s Day is observed on September 11 to commemorate this incident. He said the significance of the day should be told to the young so that they value its significance.