On 29.08.2024, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation Dehradun organized a one-day awareness camp 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' at Government Polytechnic College, Navy Sahiya, Block Kalsi, District Dehradun.

The principal of Government Polytechnic College Mr. Suresh Kumar welcomed the Scientists and officers of ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation and the farmers of Village Navi, Bhuri, Utpalta, Puroli.

At the beginning of the program, Dr. Jagmohan Singh Tomar, Head of Division of Plant Sciences, made the farmers and students aware about the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative. Dr. Tomar explained the importance of trees. On this occasion, more than 200 fruit trees were planted and saplings were distributed to the farmers.

The program was conducted by Dr. Anupam Barh (Program Coordinator) of the institute. On this occasion, Dr J. Jayaprakash, Principal Scientist, Mr. Rakesh Kumar, Mr. Hukum Singh, Mrs. Santoshi Rauthan, Mr. Abhishek Pundir, Mr. Varun Chauhan, Mr. Khajan Singh and farmers Mohan Lal Sharma, Mr. Suresh Kumar, Mr. Satpal Rai, Mr. Ran Singh Chauhan, Mr. Puran Singh Rai and other villagers were present. On this occasion, about 100 farmers from village Navi, Bhuri, Utpalta and Puroli participated.

In commemoration of Global Campaign launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India with the theme #Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam# Plant4Mother during the World Environment Day 2024, the ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC), Research Centre, Udhagamandalam, organized a "Native Tree Plantation Drive” on August 29th, 2024. The event was organized at the centre’s research farm and aimed to foster environmental awareness and promote the conservation of native shola tree species. The campaign was inaugurated by Dr. Somasundaram Jayaraman, Head and Principal Scientist, ICAR-IISWC, RC, Ooty. In his speech, he highlighted the relevance of tree plantation in reversing the land degradation and he called for each individual to plant seedlings in the name of mother and to protect them from damage. During the program, Dr. H.C. Hombe Gowda, Senior Scientist (Forestry), briefed participants about the initiative of this global campaign and provided additional insights on the need for nature conservation through mass movement of tree planting activities to preserve the environment for future generations. After that, the scientists, technical, administrative, and farm staff of the centre, along with the in-plant training students (a total of 45 participants), proceeded to plant shola tree seedlings in the research farm area. The program was coordinated by Dr. H.C. Hombe Gowda, Senior Scientist (Forestry) and Mr. M. Sivalingam, under the guidance of Dr. Somasundaram Jayaraman, Head of the Centre.