Nagpur: Earth Day Network, an international NGO operating in 195 countries for environment protection and recruiter of the largest environmental movement, conducted “Sheher Green Karo — It’s our turn to lead” contest amongst 48 Indian Cities with population of more than 10 lakh. Nagpur has been awarded one of the winners amongst 10 Indian cities. Other winners from Maharashtra are Mumbai and Pune.
Earth Day Network celebrated the first Earth Day on April 22,1970, since then every year April 22 is being celebrated as Earth Day across the globe. This being 48th year of Earth Day, 48 cities were selected to participate in “Sheher Green Karo” contest, in which organizations & institutions from 48 Indian cities showcased initiatives being taken by them towards environment protection, in which Nagpur Municipal Corporation and Green Vigil Foundation also participated and have been declared winner.
Nagpur Municipal Corporation & Green Vigil Foundation have been working for Environment Protection in the city through various campaigns & initiatives like cleaning of rivers in the city, Pournima (Full moon night) Diwas drive aimed at Energy Conservation, initiatives towards Swachhata Abhiyan, segregation of waste, End Plastic Pollution, conservation of lakes of the city by adopting eco-friendly idol immersion in artificial tanks, increasing green cover of the city, Environment Education and others.
Mega cities including Agra, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Delhi, Bengaluru, Bhuvaneshwar, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Kolkata, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Cochin, Ranchi, Madurai, Mumbai, Pune, Thiruvananthapura, Surat, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam participated in the contest. In these cities, local NGOs and institutions steered various programmes under the aegis of Earth Day Network and conducted numerous events and programmes aimed at Environment Protection and Sustainability promoting awareness and inspiring citizens to contribute towards environment sustainability.
Winners of the contest:
Apart from Nagpur, other cities that bagged the honour are Mumbai, Pune, Varanasi, New Delhi, Amritsar, Srinagar, Chennai, Guwahati and Bengaluru. Karuna Singh, Regional Director South Asia, Earth Day Network congratulated Nagpur Municipal Corporation and Green Vigil Foundation for the efforts being taken at Nagpur towards Environment Sustainability.
Feather in cap for Nagpur: Nanda Jichkar, Mayor:
An award by internationally reputed NGO like Earth Day Network for the efforts being taken towards environment protection and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a matter of privilege for us. Citizens of Nagpur have become aware about environment and cleanliness concerns. This award is another feather in cap for Nagpur and a step towards Nagpur becoming a Smart City, the Mayor Nanda Jichkar said.
Nagpur is honored — Ashwin Mudgal, District Collector:
To bring a change, awareness and public participation are of utmost importance. Green Vigil Foundation has been taking lead in all initiatives towards environmental protection. Nagpur Municipal Corporation has always been supportive to NGOs working for the betterment of the city. With such a prestigious award, now our responsibility has increased manifold. As District Collector of Nagpur, I will try to organize such initiatives for the entire district, said Ashwin Mudgal.
Victory for citizens of Nagpur — Kaustav Chatterjee, Founder, Green Vigil Foundation:
It’s victory for citizens of Nagpur who have been contributing significantly in all initiatives taken towards environment protection and sustainable development. We are extremely thankful to former NMC Commissioner Ashwin Mudgal and his team for the co-operation and guidance extended during all endeavors.
