"Think, Eat, Save- Reduce Footprint" in Nagaland

Kohima: Nagaland today joined the rest of the world in celebrating the World Environment Day with enthusiasm under the theme "Think, Eat, Save-Reduce Foodprint". Different environmental organisations, schools and government departments have organised events and workshops to spread the message about conservation of the environment, reducing wastage of food and saving the earth.

The main function was organised by Department of Forest, Ecology, Environment and Wildlife at NBCC Convention Centre here with State Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Assembly Speaker Chotisuh Sazo leading the galaxy of state cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries and MLAs, bureaucrats and school students in planting tree sapling and taking the `Green Pledge`. The occasion was also marked by free distribution of tree samplings and LPG connection to the villages replacing the use of firewood. Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said "if we all follow the principle of Think, Eat and Save in our food choices, then it will have a huge impact globally, thereby making this world a better place to live in." Dwelling on local issues, Rio said in Nagaland the forests were degrading because of large scale shifting cultivation, mining, indiscriminate felling of trees, poaching and killing of wildlife. He said unplanned development was creating problems, while adding that as per the forest survey of India report 2011, there was an annual loss of 146 sq km of forest cover compared with previous report of 2009. "Jhum cultivation is a way of life in Nagaland and we may not be able to do it always in the near future. However, to mitigate the adverse impact of jhum system, these vast stretches of jhum areas can be planted with trees, which produce timber, and provide livelihood to the village communities and also act as carbon sinks," he said. PTI