Chandigarh, December 6: Today, as part of the ongoing campaign of ‘Wednesdays for Water and Waste Management’, the Eco Club of PM Shri Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18C, Chandigarh and Yuvsatta (youth for peace)-NGO launched a Zero Percent Waste Schools programme in the school campus.

Appreciating the concept Mrs. Manjit Kaur Gill, Principal of the school said that in this academic session they with their spirited teachers and students will like to achieve this target of first zero waste generating school in the city by reducing, recycling and managing all the waste they generate in an environmentally friendly manner. Thus, their school will become a model for others to follow suit. Dr. Ramesh Sharma, of GGMSSS-18C, also motivated his students to shun single use plastics from their lifestyle. Single use plastics, be it polythene bags, ball pens, plastic cutlery etc. is a menace which Government bans alone cannot finish until we all play our role as active citizens in the right spirit of ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyan’.

Mr. Pramod Sharma, founder of Yuvsatta and the main organizers of the ‘Wednesdays for Water and Waste Management Campaign’, said that many Eco Clubs of local schools and colleges have put in place initiatives to create awareness among students about the importance of responsible handling and management of waste. Apart from teaching them that segregation of waste at source is the need of the hour, they have gone a step further by practising what they preach. The measures include enforcing strict rules against littering, and labelling dustbins for wet, dry, and electronic waste. And this concept of zero percent waste schools is doable and achievable, in which Chandigarh schools can take the lead.

On the occasion the school students presented songs, groups songs and skits on making water and waste management a part of our daily lives at schools, homes and in our society. The school also conducted poster making, slogan and essay writing contests on the theme of water and waste management. Fifteen meritorious students who won these contests were also honoured by Mrs. Manjit Kaur Gill the school Principal and Mr. Pramod Sharma. The programme ended with the national anthem.