NEW DELHI: : The University of Delhi (DU) has undertaken an initiative for a 'greener planet' through its new programme 'Environmental Education to Environmental Action' under which every student must plant at least one tree anywhere in the country.
Speaking on this programme announced by DU on August 7 for the upcoming academic session, vice-chancellor of the university PC Joshi said that they launched this programme under the social responsibility of the university towards the environment.
"We aim to move from environmental education to environmental action. Each student who takes admission to DU will have to plant a tree and take care of it. The students will give us a progress report of the tree every six months through geotagging," he stated.
Joshi added that the students could plant trees in their native places and he, along with all the officials of DU, planted a tree in the university on August 15 to kickstart this programme. "We are all monitoring the plants sowed by us," he said.
Referring to the oxygen shortage in the country during the Covid-19 crisis, DU professor and Director of Centre for Himalayan Studies (DCHS) Dinbandhu Sahoo said that India only had 28 trees per person as compared to 422 trees per person in the world.
"Student is an organised body and India has 5-6 crores students. If every student plants one tree, then the number of trees will get doubled within five years. It will not only increase oxygen and quality of living but will also generate employment through a sustainable supply chain.
Sahoo informed that DCHS, in a letter, urged Joshi to institutionalise this programme and make it mandatory for all students.
On being asked about geotagging, Sahoo said that it will help in keeping a record of the trees planted by the students as geotagging will track the longitudinal and latitudinal location of the place where the tree is planted.
The professor added that DU is the first university to implement this programme and urged the other universities to follow in the same steps for a 'greener planet'.