Hoshiarpur secures ‘Best Green District’ award for eco initiatives

Hoshiarpur has been recognised as the “Best Green District” under the Green School Programme, a nationwide initiative run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The award was presented to District Education Officer Lalita Arora at a ceremony organised at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Additionally, 12 schools from the district were honoured with Green Certificates for their exceptional efforts.

The award was conferred by education reformer Sonam Wangchuk and Sunita Narain, Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi.

Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal expressed pride in the district’s achievement, emphasising Hoshiarpur had taken a leading position on the national stage. She said the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology had established Eco Clubs in 8,000 schools and colleges across the state under the Environment Education Programme, where the management of air, energy, food, land, water and waste was audited as part of the Green School Programme.

The DC said the Green School Programme, which was launched in partnership with the Punjab School Education Department and the Centre for Science and Environment, has registered 11,917 schools across the state. Of these, green audits have been successfully completed in 7,406 schools, including 1,945 schools from Hoshiarpur district.

DC Mittal noted that out of the 345 schools selected nationwide under the programme, 196 were from Punjab, with 12 schools hailing from Hoshiarpur. She commended the district administration and the education department staff for their dedication to establishing eco-friendly systems in local schools. She said the district is committed to creating a fully sustainable environment across all schools in the near future.

District Education Officer Lalita Arora, upon receiving the award, credited the achievement to the hard work and dedication of the entire team responsible for implementing the Green School Programme in the district. She highlighted the district’s standards and expressed pride in receiving the award from Sonam Wangchuk, a renowned figure in educational reforms. She was joined at the ceremony by Pritpal Singh, Executive Director of the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Joint Director Dr K.S. Bath, Project Scientist Dr Mandakini and Science Supervisor Ashok Kalia.