Page 233 - Muzaffargarh Gazzetteer

depicting arts and crafts and selling food items. Furthermore, in order to
ensure participation of maximum number of students, transport
arrangements were made for school children of the city as well as
neighbouring areas.

First of its kind, the festival turned out to be huge success as not only
students from the public and private schools but also their family members
as well as other citizens participated in large numbers. They were all
delighted that such a literature festival, which was previously considered a
prerogative of the bigger and developed cities only, had reached Muzaffargarh
too for the good of their children and others.
GREEN SCHOOLS INITIATIVE
The initiative was based on the premise that the love of nature should be
developed amongst our children during their formative years, and no place
could be better than schools for the purpose. Even otherwise too the
challenge of depleting forest cover at hand was so enormous that each and
every member of the society, including our children, needed to be mobilized.

‘Green or Grey’ was the guiding principle set for the initiative meaning
thereby that no part or patch in our schools should be left unattended. The
schools were required to convert as many places into green areas as possible
by using grass covers or by planting plants and trees; the rest of the areas
might be converted into grey areas such as footpath, roads, tough
tiles/pavers, etc. depending upon their usage. As regards the funding
arrangement, only minimal funds were required for the purpose which
individual schools could spare from their regular funds or Non-Salary
Budgets (NSBs). Furthermore, resources of relevant departments such as
Agriculture, Forestry and the like could also be tapped, and joint ventures
and other such arrangements could be made, where possible.
The objectives of the Green Schools initiative were set as follows:

1. To inculcate love of nature, in general, and habit of gardening, in
particular, in our children.
2. To use the safe/protected premises of public schools for enhancing
forest cover in the country.
3. To make public schools play a lead role in creating a green movement
in the country.
Other important features of the initiative were as under:

1. A subject of gardening was to be introduced at an appropriate level,
i.e. primary class, in public schools.
2. The subject would have theoretical as well as practical components.

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