I am excited to announce the successful re-launch of our Sustainability Leaders Program for the second consecutive year in 2024, now on a larger scale across the entire State of Punjab. This year, we anticipate participation from over 450 schools and more than 21,000 students.
After completing an 8-week structured internship for 1,200 students in Mohali (SAS Nagar) from August to December 2023, the Punjab State Government decided to expand the program statewide. It will now cover all 23 districts and 166 urban local bodies (ULBs), also known as city governments. This expansion is supported by the Department of Local Government, which partnered with the Department of Education to implement the program under the Clean India Mission (Urban). The letter of approval, dated 27th Aug 2024, is attached here.
With Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary approaching on 2nd Oct—an event that inspires cleanliness drives and solid waste management awareness nationwide—the timing of this program couldn't be more fitting.
Today, we held our first interactive session with district nodal teachers and education officers through the State Government's Webex network. Dr. Puran Singh, Director of Solid Waste Management in the Department of Local Government, briefed the participants, after which I discussed the program's objectives, planned activities, and answered questions. You can watch the full video https://youtu.be/7Dl2kOSPHXg on my YouTube channel @suhanisharma208.
As part of the program, I am mentoring previous participants from my school and outside to take on leadership roles this year, ensuring continuity and growth.
One key focus of the program will be source segregation of waste—encouraging people to segregate waste at the point of production and hand it over to the ULBs.
Looking forward to another impactful year!
Suhani
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