Amid coronavirus students celebrate 50th Earth Day from home in Hailakandi

April 23: Amid COVID lockdown and keeping pace with ICT enabled Distance Learning Program (DLP) classes, the students & teachers observed the 50th Earth Day anniversary from their home in South Assam’s Hailakandi district on Wednesday. Inspector of Schools, Hailakandi, Rajiv Kumar Jha disclosed that students and teachers of schools and madrassas celebrated the day through a host of activities online through ICT enabled DLP programme while staying safe at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Online drawings, paintings, essays, posters and other resources expressing their concern for the mother earth, kept the young minds grossly engrossed in the growing environmental awareness movement amid the novel coronavirus pandemic,” said Jha, adding that the students pledged support for environmental protection from the confines of their home. As climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support eco systems that make our world habitable, the students planted saplings at their homes to keep the planet green and sustainable.

“While the novel coronavirus scourge may force us to remain apart, it cannot keep our voices down. The only thing that will change the world is a bold and unified action for a new way forward,” added Jha. The members of the Bharat Scout & Guides, district association too participated in plantation of saplings by maintaining social distancing to create awareness about the need of a green and habitable earth free from distress and diseases.

“We must act unitedly and decisively to protect our only living planet from the worldwide novel coronavirus pandemic and from the alarming global greenhouse emissions,” said a member. The members pledged to stay as nature lover and friends to all living organisms. This year’s theme for Earth Day is ‘climate action’. In 2009 the United Nations declared April 22 as ‘International Mother Earth Day’. According to earthday.org, the movement’s avowed mission is to ‘diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide’.