education and awareness - ministry of environment, … education, awareness and training ......

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Annual Report 2006-2007

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Environment Education, Awareness andTraining

Introduction

Alarming on-going population explosion,rapid movement towards urbanisation andindustrialisation, increasing needs of energy and fastscientific and technological advancement haveresulted in depletion of environmental resources andthe contamination of planet earth. Theenvironmental damage already inflicted cannot bereversed unless there is collective thinking, will andeffort. These call for public awareness andparticipation for bringing about an attitudinalchange and finally restricting further damage to theenvironment. Effective implementation ofenvironmental management and conservationprogrammes depends on education, awarenessraising and training in the relevant areas. Withoutan understanding of how to conserve naturalresources and the compelling need to do so, fewpeople would be motivated to participate activelyin programmes on environmental conservation.Environment education and awareness thus assumecritical importance.

Objective

The ‘Environment Education, Awareness andTraining’ is an important scheme of the Ministryfor enhancing the understanding of people at alllevels about the relationship between human beingsand the environment and to develop capabilities/skills to improve and protect the environment. Thisscheme was launched with the following basicobjectives:

✦ To develop educational/teaching materialsand aids in the formal education sector;

✦ To encourage non-governmentalorganizations, mass media and otherconcerned organizations for promotingenvironmental awareness among the peopleat all level;

✦ To promote environment education throughexisting educational/scientific /researchinstitutions;

✦ To ensure training and man-powerdevelopment in environment education; and

✦ To mobilize people’s awareness forpreservation and conservation ofenvironment.

This Scheme is dealt by EnvironmentalEducation (EE) Division of the Ministry.

Activities / Achievements made during the yearunder major programmes

The major programmes undertaken and theprogress made to achieve the overall objectives ofthe scheme are mentioned below:

National Green Corps Programme

The National Green Corps (NGC)Programme is being implemented all over thecountry since 2001-02, with underlined objectiveof spreading environmental awareness amongstschool children. This goal is furthered byestablishment of eco-clubs in each district thecountry over, with the focus on action orientedenvironment programme through the activeinvolvement of the students. Though State Govts./UTs are at liberty to set up any number of eco-clubs in a district, the financial assistance underthe Programme is restricted to 250 eco-clubs perdistrict. Apart from stimulating awareness amongthe school children through physical programmeof activities about the environmental conservationand protection issues, the programme visualizes therole of children as agents of change and fordissemination of environmental information amongpublic at large.

This programme is being implemented ineach State/UT through the Nodal Agencyappointed by the State/UT Govt with the followingobjectives:

✦ To make children understand environmentand environmental problems

✦ To provide environmental educationopportunities for school children

✦ To utilise the unique position of school

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children as conduits for awareness of thesociety at large

✦ To facilitate children’s participation indecision making in areas related toenvironment and development

✦ To bring children into direct contact with theenvironmental problems facing the societythey live in and make them think of solutions

✦ To involve children in action basedprogrammes related to environment in theirsurroundings

During the year (upto December 31, 2006)76860 eco-clubs were supported across the country(Table-23). In order to consolidate the programmein Western Region, a review meeting of Nodalagencies was organised at Bhopal on May 25, 2006so that problems specific to the region could beidentified and resolved.

In the furtherance of the objectives of theNational Green Corps Programme, Ministry has

brought out a wall calendar highlighting themessage of the programme and focusing onenvironment significant events. Each leaf of thecalendar is expected to inspire the young minds ofthe Eco-club members to contribute in creatingnature and environment awareness in the country.Copies of calendars were distributed to all the Eco-clubs across the country.

National Environment Awareness Campaign(NEAC)

The NEAC was launched in mid 1986 withthe objective of creating environmental awarenessat the national level. In this campaign, nominalfinancial assistance is provided to NGOs, schools,colleges, universities, research institutions, womenand youth organisations, army units, governmentdepartments etc. from all over the country forconducting awareness raising activities. Theactivities could be seminars, workshops, trainingprogrammes, camps, padyatras, rallies, publicmeetings, exhibitions, essay/debate/painting/postercompetitions, folk dances and songs, street theatre,

Fig 63. Plantation programme at a Girls’ School in Howrah, West Bengal

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Table-23. State-wise status of Eco-clubs established since 2002-2003

States/UTs No of Eco-clubs

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Andaman & Nicobar Islands 100

Andhra Pradesh 2800 3900 3900 3900 5750

Arunanchal Pradesh

Assam 2300 3450

Bihar 5700 5700 5266

Chandhigarh 100 150 110 112

Chhattisgarh 1600 2400 2400 2373 4000

Dadra & Nagar Haveli

Daman & Diu 44

Delhi 1150 1500 1500 1500

Goa 200 300 300 441 500

Gujarat 2500 3750 3750 3750 6250

Haryana 1900 2750 2750 2850 5000

Himachal Pradesh 1200 1800 1800 1800

J & K 2100

Jharkhand 3150 3300

Karnataka 2700 4050 4800

Kerala 1400 2100

Lakshadweep 12 12

Maharashtra 3300 4950 5400 5400 8844

Manipur 900 1350

Meghalaya

Mizoram 1200 1200 1200 1200

MP 4500 6750 7200 7200

Nagaland 800 800 800 2107

Orissa 3000 4500 4500 4500 5900

Pondicherry 600 513 513

Punjab 1700 1800 2550 2550 4250

Rajasthan 3200 4800 4800 8000

Sikkim 540

Tamilnadu 2800 4350 4500 4500 7500

Tripura 600 600 600 600

UP 10500 10500 10747

Uttarakhand 1300 1950

West Bengal 1800 2850 2850 2850 4750

Total 37206 78250 68125 67943 76860

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puppet shows, preparation and distribution ofenvironmental education resource materials etc.,followed by action like plantation of trees,management of household waste etc. Diverse targetgroups encompassing students, youths, teachers,tribal, farmers, other rural population, professionalsand the general public are covered under NEAC.The programme is implemented throughdesignated Regional Resource Agencies (RRAs)appointed for specific States/Regions of the country.

In this campaign, NGOs, schools, colleges,universities, research institutions, women and youthorganisations, army units, government departmentsetc. from all over the country get associated inorganising and conducting awareness raisingactivities followed by action activities. Nominalfinancial assistance is provided for the purpose bythe Government. During the year, a record numberof such organisations (9784) were got associatedwith the campaign and were provided financialassistance.

Seminar/Symposia /Workshops

This programme provides a platform to

scientists/ environmentalists/ universityprofessionals/ technocrats, etc, to share theirknowledge on various subjects related toenvironment. The Ministry provides financialassistance to the universities/other institutions/NGOs to organise the events (seminars /symposia/workshops/conferences) and to publish theproceedings. The scheme facilitates the transfer oftechnical know-how to different people includinglocal population.

During the year, about 53 (as on December31, 2006) organisations were provided financialassistance for conducting seminars/symposia/workshops etc. in various environmental relatedareas.

Mass Awareness through Media

The broad objectives of the programme is tobring about an attitudinal and behavioural changeamongst people by spreading awareness aboutenvironmental issues and projecting in a positivemanner government’s environmental policies andregulations, so that people, specially the youth, can

Fig 64. Sit and draw competition by school children at Jalpaiguri, North Bengal.

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Table-24. Amount Sanctioned under NEAC during last five years (State-wise)

(Amount in Rs.)

State Amount Amount Amount Amount Amountsanctioned sanctioned sanctioned sanctioned sanctioned(2002-03) (2003-04) (2004-05) (2005-06) (2006-07)

Andhra Pradesh 2791800 3146000 3558500 3929000 3490500

Andaman & Nicobar Island 32400 29000 38000 57000 103000

Arunachal Pradesh 300000

Assam 1436000 1723000 2022000 2550000 1982000

Bihar 3374100 2426000 4313000 3033000

Chattisgarh 390600 588000 649000 741000 525000

Dadra &Nagar Haveli 18000 16000 13000 10000

Daman &Diu 9000 27000 17000 30000 49000

Delhi 817200 729000 461000 808000 751000

Goa 119700 114000 16500 37000 36000

Gujarat 1153800 1755700 1276000 1919000 1927000

Haryana & Chandigarh 837000 1319000 1086000 1078000 809500

Himachal Pradesh 898920 892500 677000 1130500 1026500

Jammu & Kashmir 2254500 968500 769000 1041000 2534000

Jharkhand 955800 1391000 1041000 1425000 1616000

Karnataka 775800 1310500 2001000 1652000 1539500

Kerala 1363050 932000 614000 1366000 1500000

Lakshadweep 9000

Madhya Pradesh 2647800 3186000 3903000 4140000 4464000

Maharashtra 2391300 3556000 3504000 3939000 3871000

Manipur 1554000 2080000 2840000 2400000 1950000

Mizoram 236000 250000 283000

Nagaland 699000 530000 501000

Orissa 3513690 3115000 3021400 2748500 3138000

Pondicherry 94500 67000 150000 156000 264000

Punjab 646200 677500 602000 688000 805000

Rajasthan 1234350 1764500 1321500 1517000 1152000

Sikkim 563400 806000

Tamilnadu 2107800 2387000 3249000 2813000 3402500

Tripura 1012000 1093000 949000 1262000 1097000

Uttar Pradesh 4979800 5540000 4291000 5744000 5719000

Uttrakhand 864000 1048000 349000 770000 379000

West Bengal 1494900 1292000 1280000 1766000 1576000

Total 40703010 41527200 42124900 50602400 50629500

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adopt sustainable life styles and voluntarily followenvironmental regulations. These objectives aresought to be achieved through the electronic andprint media, the film and theatre media, etc. TheMinistry has also forwarded a “Media Action Plan”in this year.

The following activities have been takenduring the year:

✦ A half-hour weekly Environmental TelevisionMagazine called “Bhoomi” being telecast onDoordarshan National Channel.

✦ A fifteen minutes weekly EnvironmentalTelevision Magazine called “Sarokar” beingtelecast on Rajasthan DD-1.

✦ An awareness campaign on selectenvironment themes like water conservation,conservation of wetlands, man-animalconflict and illegal trade in wildlife, etc.through private TV channels.

✦ Conceived in 2002 by CMS, CMSVATAVARAN is India’s one and onlybiennially competitive and travellingEnvironment and Wildlife film festival, hasgrown in prestige, stature, reach, associationand patronage.

✦ Twelve cities, 36 days, 350 films screenings,11 workshops/ symposiums/ paneldiscussions/ open forums, 13 thematicexhibitions, more than 220 news items innational and regional newspapers, andparticipation of around 40,000 people inCMS VATAVARAN 2006. The figures are asimple statistical resemblance of themovement called CMS VATAVARAN.

✦ In 2006, CMS VATAVARAN Traveling FilmFestival was held in TWELVE CITIES.

✦ The festival in Seven Cities – Chandigarh,Srinagar, Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati,Hyderabad and Ranchi was organized byCMS with the partial support of Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests, Govt. of India.

✦ The festival was also held in Kolkata, Pune

and Sirmour in India and two InternationalCities namely Sao Paulo, Brazil and AbuDhabi. For the first time CMS VATAVARANwent overseas with Abu Dhabi CMSVATAVARAN – Indian Environment andWildlife Film Festival in collaboration withEmbassy of India, Abu Dhabi. The three-dayfestival offered a unique opportunity to viewan amazing array of CMS VATAVARANfilms on topical Indian environment andwildlife issues with global perspective. Awardwinning CMS VATAVARAN Films alsotravelled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, in Novemberas part of the 5

th Ecocine – International

Environmental Film ad Video Festival.

✦ To make use of the medium of documentaryfilms for environmental awareness, an MOUhas been signed with Public ServiceBroadcasting Trust (PSBT) for the productionof 13 films every year for three years (total39 films) on environmental issues and theirtelecast on Doordarshan. During this year 13documentary films has been telecast.

✦ Publishing the bi-monthly magazineGeography and You/Bhugol And Aap, bothin English and Hindi.

✦ Supporting M/s. AC Nielsen ORG-Marg Pvt.Ltd. To evaluate the impact of “Bhoomi”television programme among viewers.

✦ An awareness campaign on Conservation ofEstuarine Crocodile for a month on NGCand Zee News.

✦ Financial support to TERI for production andsuccessful telecast of five Terra-view films onDoordarshan.

An “Advisory Committee of Experts onMedia matters” has been constituted under theChairmanship of Secretary (E&F) to guide it in allmedia related activities.

Grants-in-aid to Professional Societies

The programme was launched during theSeventh Plan period with the underlying objectiveto encourage the expertise available with the

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professional societies and institutions and to helpaugment the capabilities in the identified areas bydeveloping programmes and activities in the areasof environmental education, ecology and wildlife.

The major objective of the scheme was toprovide one time grant to professional societies andinstitutions to develop their activities and projectsin the field of environment with an ultimateobjective of enhancing their capabilities in thevarious activities relating to protection ofenvironment and conservation of natural resources.The grant is not available for construction, officeequipment, goods and services which are not relatedor do not facilitate environment education. Thegrant under the programme is also not given forresearch, collection and compilation of data/information or to any individual/ business houses.

Publications

Under this programme subscription toprofessional, scientific and technical journals tohone up the knowledge base of officers and staff ofthe Ministry is funded. Publication of resourcematerial for benefit of eco-clubs is also supported.

Under the programme, technical andscientific journal magazines totalling 71 weresubscribed during the year for informationrepository of the Ministry for retrieval anddissemination of information.

GLOBE

The Global Learning and Observations toBenefit the Environment (GLOBE) Programme –an international Science and Education programme– provides a unique opportunity to its students tocarry out various measurements so that they canlearn about scientific protocols and performenvironmental learning activities, which havealready been introduced as theory in the textbooks.The GLOBE programme not only helps thestudents to appreciate the contents of the textbooksthrough better understanding but also assists themin gaining complete knowledge of environment. Italso facilitates research through a worldwideresearch team comprising of students, teachers andscientists.

So far about 1800 GLOBE trained teachersin the country, had included this programme underthe “Environment Education in School System”programme for Hands-on activities. Theprogramme was launched as a component of theEESS project in the 16 States namely AndhraPradesh, Assam Goa, Jammu & Kashmir,Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Uttarakhand,Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,Kerala, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and WestBengal. Teachers of 100 schools in each State havebeen trained in the protocols for conducting theexperiments in four broad environmentalparameters – hydrology, soil, land cover andatmospheric temperature/ rainfall under thisproject.

A process to consolidate further the activitiesunder the GLOBE programme in all the 1800schools was started during the year. The processinter-alia subsume training of teachers in GLOBEprotocol and provision of requisite equipment.

Other Awareness Programmes

Even though financial assistance is providedfor awareness programmes under the NEAC whichare usually held within a specific time frame andare short-term projects restricted to a specific area,other proposals for creating awareness amongdiverse target groups were also received throughoutthe year from various NGOs and other agencies.These are considered on merit as and when receivedand supported. Few examples of these are:

✦ An international written Environment Quizprogramme known as Green Olympiadfollowed by a televised Quiz programmeTERRA-QUIZ conducted by The Energyand Resources Institute (TERI).

✦ Written & televised environmental quizprograms in other regional languages likeGujarati have also started.

✦ Awareness activities / events by NGOs,academic institutions etc. on the occasion ofspecial Environment days like Earth Day etc.

✦ Organisation of an annual Vacation Program

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on Environmental Resources for high schoollevel students namely “Vacation Programmeon Natural Resources - Building a BroaderConstituency of Support for Conservation”.

✦ As in previous years, the international writtenEnvironment Quiz programme known as“Green Olympiad” was held during the year.The programme has gained steady popularityover the years and in 2006-07, more than60000 students from India, UAE, Singapore,Nepal and Bhutan participated in thiscompetition. The programme is in Hindi also.The programme was followed by a televisedQuiz Programme “TERRA-QUIZ” whereintop 32 teams of Green Olympiadparticipated. Other quiz programmes inregional languages were also supported.

✦ An annual Vacation Program onEnvironmental Resources for high schoollevel students namely “Vacation Programmeon Natural Resources - Building a BroaderConstituency of Support for Conservation”was supported.

✦ Observance of Earth Day: Earth Day is anannual observance held on April 22 every yearto increase public awareness on theenvironment. During the year, a host ofactivities were supported on and before EarthDay to use the occasion to involve people inmaking a difference towards a healthy,prosperous and sustainable future. Theactivities ranged from competitions (essay,painting, poster making, etc.) to Rallies, Runsand formation of human chain. Streets playswere also organised to spread the message ofenvironment conservation. Shramdan tocleanse the “Sanjay Lake” in Delhi was alsosupported.

Environment Appreciation Courses

In order to provide interested persons anopportunity to learn in detail about specificenvironmental issues, the Ministry provides a coursemodule through Indira Gandhi National OpenUniversity (IGNOU) for Environmental

Appreciation Courses. Delivery of these courses arethrough distance education mode. The coursemodule developed for appreciation courses is alsobeing used by the IGNOU as compulsorycomponent of its undergraduate courses. This is inpursuance of the directives of the Hon’ble SupremeCourt of India.

The target groups for environment educationare diverse ranging from school children tocommunity leaders. So in order to provideinterested persons an opportunity to learn in detailabout specific environmental issues, a coursemodule has been got developed from IGNOU forEnvironmental Appreciation Courses. Delivery ofthese courses has already been started in distanceeducation mode through IGNOU regional centres.

Formal Environment Education in Schools

Since the adoption of the National Policy onEducation 1986, Environment Education (EE) hasreceived a sharper focus in the school curriculumframework. Though Formal Education is themandate of the Ministry of Human ResourceDevelopment (MHRD), the Ministry ofEnvironment & Forests interacts with the MHRD,NCERT, and State Departments of Education etc.to ensure that environmental components areadequately covered at the school level. The Ministryhad also been interacting with the UGC to ensurecoverage of these components at the college leveleducation.

Strengthening Environment Education inProfessional Education

Recognising the immensity of the challengesand the critical impact that environment educationcan bring, the Ministry launched an initiative in2002 to integrate environmental concepts and issuesin the Management Education Syllabi of variousprofessional Management courses. The coursecontent was examined. Workshops were conductedto sensitise the faculty of management collegestowards environmental issues. A CurriculumDevelopment Workshop was also conducted todevelop new curriculum and also to develop aresource base for teaching material. An inventory

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of the courses offered in India and abroad has alsobeen prepared along with an inventory of resourcematerial.

Eco-clubs supported under the Scheme since2002-03.

Implementing organisations

The National Green Corps Programme isimplemented throughout the country through StateNodal Agencies. A list of nodal agencies in States /UTs is at Annexure-VII. The regional resourceagencies under the NEAC programme help theMinistry in conducting, supervising andmonitoring the NEAC throughout the country.The resource agencies that helped the Ministry inconducting the campaign in 2006-07 is atAnnexure-VIII.

National Museum of Natural History

Introduction

The National Museum of Natural History(NMNH), a subordinate organization of theMinistry, was established as one of the national levelinstitution during the Silver Jubilee celebrations ofIndia’s Independence, to portray and promoteawareness on the Natural Heritage of the country.

The Museum, first of its kind in India wasopened to the public on June 5, 1978 with just onegallery on ‘Natural History’. In the last 28 years, ithas developed four permanent exhibit galleries, a“Discovery Room’ for children, an ‘Activity Room’for pre-school kids and a ‘Bio- Science ComputerRoom’. Over the years, the Museum has acquiredcollections of natural history specimens related toflora, fauna and geology. It has a well stockedreference library of more than 15,000 books onrelevant subjects as also an audio-visual libraryconsisting of a number of 16 mm films, video-casettes, CDs and VCDs.

Over the years, the Museum has extended itsactivities in different regions of the country as well.It has set up three regional museums- one each atMysore (Karnataka), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) andBhubneshwar (Orissa). These museums have beenestablished to depict flora, fauna, forests, wildlifeand other environment related issues of therespective regions.

Objectives

The objectives of the NMNH are:

✦ To develop the Museum in the country’sCapital to achieve the highest level of qualityto promote environmental education throughrepository of collection.

✦ To develop Regional Museums of NaturalHistory in other parts of the country as itssatellite centers.

✦ To develop and structure museum-basededucational projects at the formal and thenon-formal level.

✦ To develop audio-visual aids, interactive

Fig 65. Number of eco-clubs supported during 2006-07 as on December 31, 2006

Fig 66. Number of participating organisations inNEAC from 2002 to 2006

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exhibits, permanent and temporaryexhibitions, school loan kits, etc. to promoteenvironmental education.

✦ To conduct ecological and museologicalresearch consonant with the scope of themuseum.

✦ To continue and develop international co-operation.

✦ To have synergic and strategic partnershipwith relevant agencies

Activities undertaken / Achievements made

During the year, the NMNH and its RegionalMuseums organized a number of programmes andactivities, keeping in mind all the sections of society,to enhance public awareness on Environment andConservation and to develop scientifictemperament in the society. These include thefollowing:

Development of an Impact Exhibit of an Elephant(Shankar)’s skeleton

The cleaning and chemical processing ofbones of the elephant Shankar, recovered fromChandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, was done and acomplete skeletal structure was placed under thecentral dome of the Regional Museum,Bhubaneshwar, as an impact exhibit. Thearrangement of different bones of Shankar is newlyfashioned with invisible steel wire support andscrews for an effective display and is on full swing.It was inaugurated during second anniversary ofRMNH, Bhubaneswar.

Setting up of a ‘Touch, Feel & Learn Bio-resourceCentre’

The first Museum Garden for visuallyimpaired people was inaugurated at the RMNH,Mysore on September 30, 2006. The Gardenconsists of four major sections: orientation,pathway, maze area and sunken bridge. Visitorsare given an orientation in the first section wherethey may also orient themselves with the help ofembossed plan of the Garden. There are trees onboth sides of the pathways and the visitors may

touch the bark and leaves and feel the hardness andcontours. A few plants are placed on both sides onhanging pots. Braille labels help visitors to identifythese plants. The maze area houses about 22medicinal plants. Visitors may identify these plantsby Braille labels. There are opportunities to explore,touch, feel and learn about these plants. A sunkenbridge with water flowing and with railings to takecare of security is another attraction where visitorsmay feel aquatic plants and a few fishes.

Organization of a special event on ‘Deserts andDesertification’

‘TRYST WITH NATURE’ – A special eventon “Deserts and Desertification – Don’t DesertDrylands!” and the Valedictory function of SummerProgramme 2006 were organized by NMNH onJuly 25, 2006 at Ashoka Hotel, Chanakyapuri, NewDelhi. On this occasion, Posters on Environmentand a Magazine prepared by the SummerProgramme participants were released. Prizes &certificates were given to the participants of SummerProgramme 2006 for various competitions heldduring the month-long programme. Plant saplingswere distributed to visitors.

Organization of Exhibitions

✦ A new exhibition area on ‘Body’s hardware’was developed in RMNH, Bhubaneshwarwith museum’s valuable reserve skeletalcollections of reptiles, birds & mammals andrelevant picture panels on display. These weresupplemented with informative illustrations.

✦ A Mobile Exhibition on the theme ‘ForestWealth’ was organized by RMNH,Bhubaneshwar for 11 Schools and oneUniversity on August 10, 2006. Theexhibition also included screening of films onNature & Wildlife. About 6,800 students and1,500 other visitors witnessed the Exhibitionand Film Shows.

✦ An exhibition on the topic “Natural Historyof Rocks” was organised by RMNH, Mysoreon March 28, 2006. This exhibition depictedspecimens of rocks, and minerals collected bythe Museum from all over South India and a

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few borrowed from Director of Mines andGeology, Government of Karnataka,Geological Survey of India (South India) andIndira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya(Bhopal and Mysore).

✦ On April 7, 2006, an exhibition titled“Dharni” was organized by RMNH, MysoreThis temporary exhibition depicted variousaspects of rocks and minerals of South India.

✦ The RMNH, Mysore also organized anexhibition - “Shreejala - River Expressions”on September 12, 2006. The exhibitionfeatured photographs, creative outputs bystudents who drew inspiration from natureduring their sojourn in South India SummerRiver Camp 2006 and penned poems andessays on the river, its flora and fauna.

✦ A temporary exhibition on “Save Tiger” wasorganized by RMNH Bhopal on October 18,2006.

✦ A Special Painting Exhibition wasinaugurated by the RMNH, Bhopal on April1, 2006 for visitors. The exhibited paintingswere created by disabled children.

Organization of Workshops/Programmes

✦ A workshop was conducted in the NMNH,New Delhi for Trainee Teachers of DistrictInstitute of Education and Training (DIET),Moti Bagh, New Delhi from August 23

–25,

2006. Fifty Trainee Teachers participated inthis workshop. The workshop mainlycovered:

✧ teaching of Environmental Science inSchools,

✧ tips on making Low Cost TeachingAids,

✧ talk on Environment and Wildlife,

✧ visit to Museum Galleries withWorksheet based on Museum Exhibits,and

Fig 67. Display of paintings by school children at NMNH, New Delhi

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✧ visit to Aravalli Biodiversity Park.

✦ A Teachers Orientation Programme wasorganised by R.M.N.H., Bhubaneswar onOctober 18, 2006. About 50 teachers from19 educational circles of Orissa had come ona visit to the museum as part of their Statelevel Resource Persons Programme on‘Environmental education and populationstudy’. A brief interaction on environmentand a film show was organized for them,followed by guided visit to the galleries. Theteachers were also shown the exhibition onwheels on the theme ‘Forest Wealth’.

✦ An Inter-school Model Making Competitionon ‘Waste Disposal System in My School’ wasorganized in the RMNH, Bhubaneshwar onOctober 24, 2006. Fourteen schoolsparticipated in this competition. Twenty fourmodels were exhibited on the occasionrepresented by 24 teams constituting 80

students. All the models were highlyappreciated by the judges and 1st, 2nd & 3rdprize were declared for winners. Others weregiven certificate of participation.

Educational Activities

NMNH along with its Regional Museumsof Natural History organised a number of in-houseand outreach programmes for the benefit of schoolchildren, college students, teachers, special childrenand general public. Various national andinternational days of scientific relevance like the‘World Wetland Day’, ‘World Day for Water’,‘World Forestry Day’, ‘International Ozone Day’,‘Conservation Day’, ‘Earth Day’, ‘World Day toCombat Desertification’, ‘World Population Day’,‘Braille Day’, ‘World Heritage Day’, ‘InternationalBio-diversity Day’, ‘World No Tobacco Day’,‘Wildlife Week’, ‘World Habitat Day’, wereobserved and the Museums organized differenteducational activities and competitions like Quiz,

Fig 68. Presentation of saplings by young environmentalist to Hon’ble MEF and MOS(E&F) on WorldEnvironment Day

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Declamation, On-the-spot Painting, Poster making,Essay writing, Model making, Bird Watching, Treespotting for the participating school students andspecial children on these occasions.

World Environment Day and NMNHFoundation Day Celebration

The World Environment Day and NMNHFoundation Day Celebration was organised in IndiaHabitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi. Hon’bleMinister of State for Environment and Forestsgraced the occasion as Chief Guest.

Publications

NMNH and its Regional Centres broughtout a number of publications in Hindi, English,and in some regional languages on the topics relatedto animals, plants and bio-diversity. These includethe desk calendars, slogans on environment(Paryavaran Ke Nare), posters, guide book, summerprogramme magazine and nature study kit forstudents.

Collaboration with Universities/other Institutions

NMNH and its Regional Centres continuedits academic and professional collaborations withvarious other institutions like Zoos, EnvironmentalPlanning and Coordination Organisation, IndiraGandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, BritishCouncil, HT-Pace, Times of India etc. and variousother NGOs.

Formation of Advisory Committees for NMNHand RMNHs

The Advisory Committee of the NMNH,

New Delhi was reconstituted and the first meetingof the re-constituted committee was held onDecember 20, 2006. The Committee suggested anumber of action points for improvement in thefunctioning of the NMNH.

Separate Advisory Planning Committees forRegional Museums Mysore, Bhubaneswar andBhopal were also constituted.

New Initiatives undertaken

✦ The Ministry has decided to establish aRegional Museums of Natural History atSawai Madhopur (Rajasthan) during the XI

th

Five Year Plan. This regional museum wouldfocus on the hot desert ecosystems. Landmeasuring 7.42 acres at Shilpa Gram, RamSingh Pura, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan hasbeen provided by the State Government ofRajasthan to set up this museum.

✦ In principle decision has been taken by theMinistry for setting up another RegionalMuseum of Natural History at Gangtok,Sikkim during the XI

th Five Year Plan. The

State Govt. of Sikkim has identified land forthe proposed museum.

✦ Efforts are being taken to acquire land at asuitable location in New Delhi forconstruction of building of NMNH, which,since its inception, is housed in a rentedbuilding owned by FICCI at BarakhambaRoad, New Delhi.

✦ The NMNH is in the process of having adigital format specialized library software,which would enable it to connect toDELNET for better access by users.

Forestry Education, Training and Extension

Introduction

In order to meet the scientific requirementsespecially in natural sciences and survey, forestryeducation and training in India began in the earlypart of last century. The present system of forestryeducation and training is well tailored to produceskilled forest managers so as to manage, protect and

Fig 69. Participating students in a function organizedduring NEAC Campaign

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conserve the forests in consonance with NationalForests Policy, 1988 and National Forestry ActionProgramme, 1999 etc.

The activities related to forestry education,training and extension are performed by thedifferent institutes of the Ministry like IndiraGandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA),Dehradun; Directorate of Forest Education (DFE),Dehradun; Indian Council of Forestry Research andEducation (ICFRE), Dehradun; Forest Survey ofIndia (FSI), Dehradun; Indian Institute of ForestManagement (IIFM), Bhopal and Indian PlywoodIndustries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI),Bangalore etc.

Progress of activities undertake by variousinstitutes

Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy(IGNFA), Derhadun

Introduction

The erstwhile Indian Forest College wasupgraded to function as a staff college for IFS andrenamed as Indira Gandhi National Forest Academyin 1987. The mandate of the academy is to impartprofessional training to regular recruits of IndianForest Service. The academy also conducts in-service training courses for IFS officers at variouslevels of seniority. In addition, workshops andseminars are also organized on emerging issues inforestry sector.

Major activities during the year are as follows:

✦ Twenty batches of IFS officers haveundergone training in this academy so far.

✦ At present three batches of IFS probationersand Foreign Trainees are undergoing trainingat the Academy. These training coursesincluded a series of lectures, practicals, casestudies, panel discussions, field visits, tours,excursions, symposia, seminars, guest talks,On the Job Training and counselor groupmeetings on various forestry and alliedsubjects.

✦ Thirty two IFS Probationers and two Foreign

Trainees from Bhutan of 2003-2006 Coursehave passed out of the Academy aftercompleting their training.

✦ Twenty one IFS Probationers and two ForeignTrainees from Bhutan of 2004-07 Coursehave completed their ‘Professional Phase-One’ training and are undergoing On-the-Job Training in their respective cadres.

✦ Twenty nine IFS Probationers and twoForeign Trainees of 2005-2007 Course areundergoing Professional Phase One Trainingin the Academy

✦ Thirty six IFS Probationers and two ForeignTrainees of 2006-2008 Course joined theAcademy on August 7, 2006 and aftercompleting the Foundational Course at theLal Bahadur Shastri National AdministrativeAcademy, Mussoorrie, have joined IGNFAfor Professional Phase Training.

✦ XIX Skill Up-gradation Course duringAugust – October, 2006 was conducted,where 36 officers of various cadresparticipated.

✦ Eight Advanced Forest Management (AFM)courses for the IFS officers of the 1996, 1989and 1985 batches have been organized.

✦ Three Special Advanced Forest Management(AFM) courses for 1981-84, 1986-88, 1992-96 and 1990/91 batches were conducted forthose officers who could not participate inthese courses earlier.

✦ Academy also organized two-three-daysSenior Foresters Workshop for the IFS officerswho have completed 30 and 25 years ofservice.

✦ Two thematic workshops on “Strategies forDevelopment of Knowledge Management inForestry Sector” and “Need for Survey,Demarcation and Consolidation ofForestlands and Strategies for Achieving theObjectives” were organized on July 11-12,2006 and September 12-13, 2006respectively.

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✦ One-week refresher training programme on‘Policy and Legal Issues’ was organized duringOctober, 2006 in which 17 IFS officers fromvarious states participated.

Directorate of Forest Education, Dehradun

The Directorate of Forest Education (DFE)under the Ministry remained responsible forprofessional and technical level training/educationin the country for the SFS officers, Forest RangeOfficers and the frontline staff. There are fourcolleges under the DFE. Names and intake ofcapacity of the colleges are as under:

✦ SFS College, Dehradun 90

✦ SFS College, Coimbatore 80

✦ SFS College, Burnihat 40

✦ EFRC, Kurseong (West Bengal) 40

Activities undertaken /Achievements made duringthe year

✦ One regular training course for SFS officersat SFS college, Dehradun has been organisedin which senior batch 2005-07 is undergoingtraining.

✦ Three training courses for Forest Rangers atSFS College, Coimbatore, Burnihat &EFRC, Kurseong have been organised.

✦ Three batches of Forest Rangers passed outfrom Coimbatore, Kurseong, Dehradun inOctober, 2006.

✦ Two one-week trainers’ training courses havebeen organised at Coimbatore and Dehradun.

✦ Twenty courses on various themes/generalrefresher courses have been organised for SFS/FROS at Dehradun, Coimbatore, Burnihatand EFRC, Kurseong.

✦ Two one-week training-cum-workshops havebeen organized on ‘Climate Change’ for SFSofficers at Coimbatore and Sohna, Haryana.

✦ Two one-week training-cum-workshops on“Bio-Diversity Conservation” were organized

at Dehradun and Coimbatore.

✦ One hundred and thirty courses for frontlinestaff have been organised in different states.

✦ Three courses for forest rangers on wildlifemanagement in the states of Madhya Pradesh,Gujarat and Kerala have been organized.

Apart from above, a number of civil workshave been undertaken for improving infrastructureof the colleges.

Capacity Building of IFS Officers

The thrust of this scheme is on capacitybuilding of the Indian Forest Service Officersthrough organising mid-career short-term refreshercourses and training workshops.

✦ During the year, the Ministry sponsored 45one week courses in the premier training/management institutions in the country on awide range of disciplines includingmanagement and administration of forests,wildlife, environment and generaladministration in the government. The topicsinclude human resource development,financial management, environmental impactassessment & auditing, joint forestmanagement, intellectual property rightsissues in forestry, policy and legal issues, goodgovernance, managing of non-timber forestproducts for addressing livelihood concernsof local communities, effective leadership andconflict resolution, impact of global warmingand climate change on forests andbiodiversity.

✦ Various other topics like GIS – a decision toolfor forestry planning and management, eco-tourism assessment and development,economics of conservation areas, enhancingthe effectiveness for implementation ofgovernment policies and programmes,wildlife management – issues, concerns andpractices, captive management of wildanimals, conservation and development ofmedicinal plants, natural resourcesaccounting, bamboo resource development

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for livelihood generation for tribal and ruralcommunities, role of forestry in conservation,development and management of waterresources, etc. were also covered.

✦ Sixteen two-day training workshops onemerging issues in the field of forests, wildlifeand environment conservation havingregional, national and internationalimportance were also sponsored by theMinistry. The training workshops/seminarsare sponsored in the premier institutions/organizations depending upon their expertiseand strengths in a particular field/discipline.The broad themes for training workshopsinclude Awareness for Building anEnvironmentally Sensitive and ResponsiveSociety-Need for Comprehensive Strategiesand Programmes, Interventions required inSustainable Management of Non-TimberForest Products (NTFPs) and Benefit Sharingby the Local Communities, Management ofForests/Tree lots Outside the Forests underthe Control of the State Forest Departments- Role of the State Forest Departments, etc.

✦ A Booklet on “Capacity BuildingProgrammes for the Forest Officers during2006-07” was also brought out.

Forest Survey of India, Dehradun

Training in Modern Forest Survey methods

Training in Modern Forest Survey methodsis one of the major activities of Forest Survey ofIndia. Under this, short term training courses ofone to three week’s duration are organized in theheadquarters (Dehradun) for different level offorestry personnel starting Range Forest Officersupto Chief Conservator of Forests in modern surveymethods- remote sensing, GIS and GPS andelectronic data processing. In all about 175 officialswere trained during the year at Dehradun.

In addition, FSI conducted two outreachtraining programmes each of three-day duration inapplication of GPS on the specific requests of ForestDepartments of Punjab and Andaman and Nicobar

Islands where a large number of officials weretrained. FSI also conducted two one week trainingcourses to Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants(MIKE) for South-East Asian countries and North-Eastern States of India on the use of GIS and GPSto check illegal killing of elephants.

Indian Institute of Forest Management(IIFM), Bhopal

✦ The IIFM, Bhopal as a sectoral managementinstitute, imparts education and training inforest management with specific objectives toprovide training in management and relatedsubjects to persons from Forests Services,Forest Departments, Forest DevelopmentCorporations and forestry related institutes.

✦ In the area of education, the Institute offerstwo academic programmes viz. Post GraduateProgramme in Forestry Management(Equivalent to Master Degree) andPostmaster’s Programme in Natural ResourceManagement (Equivalent to M. Phil). TheInstitute is also recognised as a Centre forResearch by Forest Research Institute (FRI),Dehradun for Doctoral programmes.

✦ All the students of PGDFM who would bepassing out in March 2007 already got placedin the campus recruitment held in the firstweek of January 2007. The campus placementhas improved further both in qualitative andquantitative terms.

✦ The Institute has organized short-termtraining courses, seminars and workshops totransfer technical and managerial skills beinggenerated by faculty areas of the institute. Thefocus of these programmes is on evolving,analyzing and synthesizing variousmanagement techniques/ tools, ideas andconcepts relevant to the forestry and alliedsector. During the year, the Instituteconducted 22 Management DevelopmentProgrammes (MDPs) and 14 workshops/seminars, which include the programmesconducted through major long-termexternally funded projects.

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Indian Plywood Industries Research andTraining Institute (IPIRTI), Bangalore

✦ The IPIRTI provides training in connectionwith forest product utilization for panelindustry, trade and allied industries.Imparting technical education and/ortraining at undergraduate, graduate,postgraduate, and/or any other level intechnology of forest products and adhesives,synthetic finishing, testing and preservation.

✦ It also works in the area of transfer oftechnology to industrial houses forcommercialization assists entrepreneur orindustry to update processes and productsholds seminars, workshops, take part inexhibitions and to create public awarenessabout eco-friendly products made of forestand agro residues.

✦ The Institute conducts Post GraduateDiploma (PGD) course in Mechanical WoodIndustries Technology. Thirty trainees of 17

th

Batch of the course have successfullycompleted the training and all the traineesgot placements in various panel industries.18

th batch of the PGD course commenced in

December, 2006.

✦ Various short-term training coursesconducted by the Institute during the yearare:

Short term training courses

✦ April 2006 : 0ne month special trainingcourse on plywood manufacturingtechnology for Kashmir polytechnic students

✦ June 19-21, 2006 : course on Maintenanceof TCT Saw and Band Saws

Fig 70. Special training course on plywood manufacturing technology for Kashmir Polytechnic students atIPIRTI, Bangalore

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✦ October 10-11, 2006 : Special training courseon Seasoning and preservation of timber.

✦ November 6-10, 2006 : Course on PlywoodManufacturing Technology –II

✦ December 14, 2006 : One day course onknow your wood based panels and theirrequirements

✦ September 11-15, 2006 : One weekcompulsory training courses for IFS officerson the theme “Bamboo resource developmentfor addressing livelihood concerns ofcommunities”

Wildlife Education and Training

Wildlife education and training is primarilylooked after by the Wildlife Institute of India, anautonomous institute of the Ministry for impartingtraining to government and non-governmentpersonnel to carry out research and trainingactivities and advice on matters of conservation andmanagement of wildlife resources. The Instituteconducted various training and academicprogrammes during the year as follows:

✦ X M.Sc. (Wildlife Science) : The ongoing XM.Sc. course in Wildlife Science commencedfrom July, 2005 with eight meritoriousstudents, who were selected after a NationalEntrance Test. As a part of the coursecurriculum, the students visited Koluchaurof Lansdowne forest division and SonanadiWildlife Sanctuary of the Corbet NationalPark and got familiarised with animal tracks,local birds and plants identification andoriented on field biology and natural history.

✦ XXVII Diploma in Wildlife Managementconcluded, September 1, 2005 to May 31,2006 : As a part of the training curriculum,the officer trainees were taken to MelghatTiger Reserve during April 14 to May 6, 2006for their Management Plan Exercise. Theobjective of this exercise was to develop skillsamong the officer trainees for writing amanagement plan based on the primary andsecondary data collected during the filed

work. The officer trainees conducted filedsurveys to collect first-hand information onall aspects of Melghat Tiger Reserves, itsproblems and existing management practices.

✦ XXVIII Post-graduate Diploma course inWildlife Management, September 1, 2006 toMay 31, 2007 : The nine month coursecommenced on September, 2006 andseventeen officers have joined the course.Besides, field trips to the Rajaji National Parkand Binog Wildlife Sanctuary in September2006, the officer trainees were also taken ontheir orientation tour to Corbett TigerReserves from October 5-9, 2006. A riverrafting trip along river Ganges from Shivpurito Rishikesh was also arranged for the batchon October 14, 2006.

✦ XXII Certificate in Wildlife Management,November 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007 : TheXXII Certificate course in WildlifeManagement commenced on November 1,2006.

✦ One-week Training Programme on WildlifeCensus and Data Analysis Techniques,Dehradun, April 3-8, 2006 : Based on therequest by the Royal Government of Bhutan,this training programme on wildlife censusand data analysis techniques for ParkWardens, Department of Forests, RoyalGovernment of Bhutan was conducted at theInstitute. The objective of this programmewas to train the park wardens in wildlifecensus and data analysis techniques. Twoofficers joined the training programme. Theofficers were exposed to data entry and basicdata management, ALL India TigerMonitoring Programme, use of MS Excel andbasic data analysis and data transportation.Use of DISTANCE programme,Interpretation of data analysed using distanceprogramme, scat collection and analysis ofscat samples were part of the trainingprogramme. The officers were given hands-on training on field methods at RajajiNational Park.

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✦ Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission Pre-SessionWorkshop on Forests and Poverty Reduction,Dehradun, April 15, 2006 : The pre-sessionworkshop was held at the Institute. The mainobjectives of this workshop were to : (a)increase awareness of links between forestryand poverty reduction; (b) identify barrierslimiting forestry’s contribution; and (c)explore possible actions to reverse thesituation. This workshop was attended by 85participants from 17 countries includinginternational and regional organisations andnon-governmental organisations. Threethematic presentations set the stage for thediscussions in three parallel working groups,which addressed the following issues: (i)innovative and equitable laws and policies forpoverty reduction; (ii) approaches forstrengthening incentives for communitybased forest management and forest basedenterprises; and (iii) refinement of localauthority and management structures tobalance the respective rights and duties ofState and local communities.

The participants reviewed the issues andidentified recommendations for theconsiderations of countries and Food andAgriculture Organisation (FAO). Severalrecommendations were directed to countrieswith a view towards improving policies,legislation, institutional arrangements andincentives for expanding the opportunities forcommunity based forest management.

✦ UNITAR Hiroshima Fellowship forAfghanistan 2006 Cycle Workshop II on“Tools for Managers: Communication,Proposal and Report Writing” Dehradun,August 27-31, 2006 : This training wasoffered to the selected and interested Alumnifrom previous cycles, and ensures systematicinteraction between members of thefellowship Community in Afghanistan.Financial support for the UNITARHiroshima Fellowship for Afghanistan wasgenerated solely for voluntary contributionsby governments, agencies, foundations andindividual donors.

The participants/ trainers received guidanceboth on the specific subjects for theworkshop, as well as on the tools, techniquesand methodologies necessary to create atraining project. As part of the second phase,the most committed and capable Fellows wereselected as Coaches (eventually trainers,mentors and resource persons) for futureFellowships.

✦ Internal Research Seminar (IRS), September14-15, 2006 : Durig the IRS, a total of 23presentations were made in five sessions viz.(i) Studies on Coastal and MarineBiodiversity, (ii) Molecular Genetics andForensic Studies, (iii) Human-WildlifeInteractions, (iv) Vegetation and AnimalStudies, and (v) Biodiversity Assessment andWildlife Monitoring, to represent all researchprojects that have been initiated recently.These presentations were made by 19 researchfellows. The presentations were evaluated bya panel of judges comprising three facultymembers of the Institute. The three bestpresentations were awarded book prizes eachworth Rs.1,000/-.

✦ The XX Annual Research Seminar (ARS) ofWII, September 22-23, 2006 : In total 28presentations were made in seven sessions.These includes studies on carnivores,molecular genetics an forensic studies,vegetation studies and habitat mapping,biodiversity assessment, avifaunal studies,studies on ungulates-I and II. ThePresentations were based on completed andongoing research studies and were made by26 Research Fellows and two facultymembers.

✦ About 300 delegates / participants attendedthe ARS that included the Principal ChiefConservator of Forests (PCCFs), ChiefWildlife Wardens and other senior officialsrepresenting State Forest Departments,delegates representing NGOs, scientists,conservationists, wildlife experts, facultymembers, researchers, M.Sc. students and thePost Graduate Diploma course officer trainees

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of WII. The best five presentations madeduring the XX Annual Research Seminar weregiven book awards, each worth Rs.1,000/-.

✦ XVI Meeting of the Training, Research andAcademic Council (TRA) of WII, Dehradun,September 23, 2006 : The meeting wasattended by 26 members includingrepresentatives from ICFRE; Dehradun, ZSIand BSI; Kolkata, National Institute ofImmunology; New Delhi and Universities ofPatna, Saurashtra & Guwahati. The meetingwas also attended by the State ForestDepartment Officials from Manipur, Assam,Chhattisgarh, Orissa and J&K.

Other Activities

✦ Celebration of World Environment Day, June5, 2006 : The Institute celebrated the WorldEnvironment Day on June 5, 2006 to renewits commitment to protect the environmentfrom devastation. It was an opportunity tocreate awareness in younger generation andchildren.

✦ ‘Desert and Desertification’ was the themefor this year as declared by UNEP. In view ofthis, a trip for the children of WII family wasorganized to Eco Task Force Plantation Sitenear Than village. Discussions were held bythe officials of 127, Infantry Div. (Ecological).The children were taken to the PlantationSites. A total of 63 children participated inthe visit. The children were taught about theeffects of desertification and its remedies.

✦ Celebration of Wildlife Week, October 3-6,2006 : The ‘Wildlife Week’ was celebrated atthe Institute like every year. The followingactivities were organized during the WildlifeWeek Celebration from 3-6 October, 2006:(i) An essay competition on WildlifeConservation in Hindi for staff; (ii) Puppetshows at different schools; (iii) Drawing andPainting Competition at select Schools; (iv)Wildlife Film Shows at different schools; (v)Talk on Wildlife by Faculty Members atdifferent schools; and (vi) Wildlife Quiz forstaff.

education and awareness - ministry of environment, … education, awareness and training ......

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