Guwahati: Assam has launched a major student-led plantation campaign aimed at creating a stronger connection between the younger generation and the environment, with more than 22 lakh students set to plant over 1.5 crore saplings across the state.
The ‘Brikshya Bandhu’ programme was ceremonially inaugurated at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati on Tuesday in the presence of Education Minister Ranoj Pegu and Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, along with legislators Dr Tapan Das, Rupam Chandra Roy and Raju Mech.
The four-day plantation campaign, being conducted from August 11 to 14 under the Amrit Brikshya Andolan, involves students from Class VI onwards. According to officials, 11,277 educational institutions are participating in the initiative, while more than 21.28 lakh students have already registered.
To support the statewide campaign, the Forest Department has distributed around 1.57 crore saplings to participating educational institutions.
A key feature of the programme is the mechanism introduced to track the survival and growth of the saplings. Students will be required to upload geo-tagged photographs of the plants after plantation through the Amrit Brikshya Andolan portal. A second photograph will be submitted six months later to document the condition and development of the saplings.
Students who complete the prescribed process will receive digital ‘Brikshya Bandhu’ certificates, encouraging them to take responsibility for the trees they plant beyond the initial plantation activity.
Speaking about the initiative, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu called for collective participation to make the campaign successful. He emphasised the importance of developing a lasting relationship between students and nature at a time when communities are increasingly confronting the effects of climate change.
Forest and Environment Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah also urged students not to treat plantation as a one-day programme, stressing that the real objective would be achieved only if the saplings were properly nurtured and protected.
With more than 1.5 crore saplings targeted over four days, the ‘Brikshya Bandhu’ initiative represents one of Assam’s largest student-driven plantation campaigns and places young people at the centre of the state’s broader environmental efforts.
