IIT Bhubaneswar - CHES Plantation Drive

Theme based Plantation jointly by IIT and CHES Bhubaneswar

IIT Bhubaneswar decided to develop its permanent campus into a zero energy drawing and green field campus. Though the Institute shifted its students only recently on 18th of this month to its new campus, it has initiated actions on greening of the campus. In this endeavour, several Government organisations including the Central Horticultural Experimentation Station (CHES) are also taking part. On 29th July 2015, plantation of a ‘Mango Orchard’ consisting of  500 nos. of trees of 60 different mango varieties was inaugurated by Dr. N. K. Krishna Kumar, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Science), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi and Prof. R. V.  Raja Kumar, Director of the Institute. Several faculty members and the students of the Institute have also taken part in the plantation drive which continued to-day also.  The CHES joined the endeavour not only by providing 500 saplings of 60 varieties of mangos to IIT Bhubaneswar but also several of their officers including Dr. H. S. Singh, Head of the organisation participated in the drive.

After the plantation, Prof. Raja Kumar, Director welcomed all the guests, addressed all including the students, explained about the plans of the institute in planting 6000 plants before end of the present season including development of several orchards of gardens which theme based, without disturbing any of the naturally grown trees and called for the participation of the students in this endeavour. Dr. Krishna Kumar addressed the attendees including the students explaining about the green revolution, its benefits, fruit and vegetable based nutrition, food safety and security, plant nutrition, sustenance of top soil quality, its organic content and the need for concern and sensitivity towards the same. He also called upon the students to apply technology including information technology in this endeavour.

The meeting also solemnly commemorated Bharat Ratna A P J Abdul Kalam, former President of India.