KOCHI: As part of World Environment Day, The New Indian Express and the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Ltd, Kerala, organised a programme at Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Ernakulam, on Wednesday to highlight the importance of environmental conservation among students.
During the programme, the speakers gave a detailed picture of the importance of land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. The event was inaugurated by Geetika Verma, chief general manager and state head of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Kerala, who administered a pledge to the students on not destroying the planet that we live on.
The event was attended by B Arun Kumar, Divisional Retail Sales Head, Indian Oil Corporation Ernakulam Division, P Vishnukumar, General Manager of The New Indian Express, Kiran Prakash, Resident Editor of The New Indian Express, and Mini Ram, principal of Government Higher Secondary School for Girls.
On the occasion, TNIE Resident Editor Kiran Prakash said that it is now up to the younger generation to take up the responsibility to protect the world we live in. He added that this is the first time such a function has been conducted in a school. As part of the event, 500 saplings were handed over to the principal and students.
The school organised the event to promote the green earth and clean earth concepts besides various handful of projects. The IOC chief general manager also flagged off a walkathon. The staff and students along with the guests walked around the school campus and adjacent road carrying placards and banners.
TNIE also distributed around 10,000 saplings to the customers who visited 20 IOC outlets out of which 15 were in Ernakulam and 5 in Thrissur. This initiative was supported by Department of Social Forestry, Kerala.