Pune, December 23, 2019: Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS) Pune office, and BJS’s WERC institution, Wagholi, came together and celebrated Farmers Day by planting more than 170 trees and plants in their surroundings. Along with the school administration, more than 70 teachers from the institution supported these students.
Its noteworthy that for this drive, ‘Maharashtra Forest Department – Pune’ also donated 50 saplings which are planted around the school and college premises.
From this initiative, the children of the farmers gave a very strong message to the world that, ‘No matter, rich or poor, today if you have food on your plate, it is because someone (farmers) out there is growing it for you. Please support farmers by planting more trees as it prevents soil erosion, increase groundwater levels, conserve water and thereby, making the earth drought-resilient.’ These children did not get it easy; their families are paying the price, and despite the circumstances and loss, they are striving to give their best to the society and environment.
During the event, the Principal of the WERC institute, Mr. Bhandari said, “India is primarily an agriculture country and around 70 percent of our population relies upon agriculture for their livelihood. Through this tree plantation initiative, we take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to our dear farmers and their families.”
Speaking about this initiative, Shantilal Muttha, Founder of BJS, said,“The growing climate change, the scanty rainfall and depletion of underground water levels are some of the primary reasons for the drought across India. Moreover, the rising cost and high rate of interest on loans have all contributed to making life a living hell for the most important community (farmers) in our country. The struggle for water has become so intense that farmers are paying the price with their lives.”
He went on to add, “The need to help farmers in India is now greater than ever. I urge each and every person to join our ‘Sujalam Suphalam’ initiative to address this problem. We are working relentlessly in various States which are severely affected by the drought. Our aim is to build and strengthen the ecosystem to be well equipped to handle any kind of situation in the future. We have put our blood sweat and tears as we believe that, when serving the society and when people’s livelihood is involved, you can’t take the emotions out of it.”