Initiative was taken up to restore the biodiversity as well as spread awareness among children
Social Welfare Minister B. Valarmathi along with Dr. R. Alagu Perumal director of IIIBFT planting a fruit bearing sapling at Chennai Boys Higher Secondary School on Saturday (Photo: DC)
Chennai: In an effort to restore the biodiversity as well as spread awareness among children, 8,000 plus fruit bearing saplings have been distributed among students and the NGO, Tree bank which offers free saplings to tree lovers. The initiative by an enterprise called Indo-International Initiative Billions of Fruit Trees (IIIBFT) was inaugurated in the presence of social welfare minister B. Valarmathi at the Chennai Boys Higher Secondary School on Saturday.
The initiative was started in 2012 with more than 2,000 saplings donated. Dr R. Alagu Perumal, director of IIIBFT and also a professor of International Business at Loyola college, whose brainchild is the project, said that from June 2014 to May 2015, around 25,000 saplings have been donated and planted in 16 schools. He explained the idea behind choosing fruit bearing trees. “If we plant normal saplings we get shade. But the idea behind planting fruit bearing saplings is that it will not only give shade but also give food to people and the biodiversity will be restored,” he said.
He added that since we are shifting from agricultural to non-agricultural land because of industrialisation, it is definitely leading to food shortage. But if a household would have mango, jackfruit, sapodilla or any fruit bearing tree it might save us from such things in future. Speaking on the occasion, Ms Valarmathi lauded Mr Alagu Perumal for inculcating the idea among the school and college students and taking the initiative alone. She said, “Mr Perumal should also implement this idea among the corporation schools. I am sure it will be welcomed very well.”
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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