Delhi, June 5: Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, today launched Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 in New Delhi. He also launched Special Modules for this initiative, including Eco Clubs for the Mission LiFE Web Portal and a Microsite for Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0.
Minister of State for Education and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar; Education Minister, Government of NCT of Delhi, Ashish Sood; Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Sanjay Kumar; Director, NCERT, Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani; and other dignitaries were also present at the event.
While speaking at the event, Dharmendra Pradhan highlighted the significance of the special modules, the web portal, and the microsite in the conservation of nature and in raising awareness among students about environmental protection, ensuring their greater participation in addressing environmental challenges.
He noted the efforts of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, under NEP 2020, to mainstream environmental education. “Eco Clubs for Mission LiFE” in schools will sensitize students to concerns related to the environment and climate change while fostering environmentally friendly behaviour and values in them, he added.
Pradhan also stated that, compared to the world, India has never been a polluting nation. Indian civilization considers the entire world as one family, he said. He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his resolve to achieve the target of Net Zero for India by 2070, with 2047 being an important milestone. In this great endeavour of environmental protection, everyone should play their role, he said.
The Minister noted how, in the last year, educational institutions had planted more than 5 crore trees across the country. This time, the target is to plant 10 crore trees nationwide, and more momentum must be given to the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 campaign to make it a mass movement, he mentioned.
Pradhan also said that the next generation must be guided in this direction to achieve the Net Zero 2070 goal and the Sustainable Development Goals. He urged everyone to fulfil their responsibility towards nature by planting a tree in the name of their mother and uploading a selfie with it on the dedicated portal: http://ecoclubs.education.gov.in.
Dr. Sukanta Majumdar in his speech highlighted how the Indian knowledge system, as opposed to the Western thoughts of winning over nature, has emphasised staying in harmony with the elements of nature, like a child to a caring mother. As India walks confidently on the path of becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047, our ecological conscience must remain at the heart of this journey, he added. He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for implementing NEP 2020, in which the message of developing a ‘Pro-Planet Person’ has been propagated through experiential learning and real-world application of knowledge. Dr. Majumdar also expressed his gratitude to Dharmendra Pradhan for providing the vision of Education for Sustainable Development.
Ashish Sood in his speech mentioned how World Environment Day presents a greater significance, going beyond just celebration and presenting both challenges and opportunities at the same time. The challenge, he said, is to control the rising temperature in order to fulfil the dreams of the next generation along with the Earth, and the opportunity is to address it by changing our lifestyles. He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for initiating the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign last year and said that this is not just a campaign for tree plantation but a training module towards emotions, science, and sustainability for the society, especially for the students.
In his address, Sanjay Kumar highlighted the importance of the seven themes of Mission LiFE and their vital role in promoting sustainability through the mindful use of limited resources. He also urged all remaining schools to establish Eco Clubs under Mission LiFE, preferably before 29th July 2025, marking the fifth anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Earlier in the day, Pradhan planted a sapling at his residence, reaffirming his commitment to contributing towards slowing climate change and nurturing Mother Nature. In his message, he also encouraged everyone to join the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 movement by planting a sapling in honour of their mother.
The three special modules on Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam for the Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary stages aim to cultivate environmental consciousness in young learners by drawing parallels between the nurturing qualities of mothers and Mother Earth. They introduce children to Eco Clubs for Mission LiFE, detailing their composition, the activities undertaken, and key initiatives, including QR Codes for Flora and School Nutrition Gardens. Enriched with puzzles, hands-on activities, and research assignments, these modules inspire young minds to become dedicated Eco-warriors, actively contributing towards a greener, more sustainable future.
A dedicated web portal, launched today, will capture and monitor the activities of Eco Clubs for Mission LiFE: https://ecoclubs.education.gov.in. This portal is designed to align with the seven themes of Mission LiFE and to record activities undertaken by these clubs in over 14.7 lakh schools across the country. It offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, ensuring ease of use for all stakeholders. Each school is provided with a dedicated dashboard, enabling them to seamlessly upload details of the activities conducted under Eco Clubs for Mission LiFE. Importantly, the portal is multilingual, empowering every school to access it in their preferred language.
The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 microsite has been integrated into the Eco Clubs for Mission LiFE portal. After planting a sapling with their mother, students can capture the moment with a selfie and upload it on the microsite by filling out a simple form. Upon successful submission, an e-certificate featuring the selfie will be generated. This microsite provides ground-level statistics to monitor the progress of the campaign effectively and assess its impact.
