Dehradun/Vikasnagar:Under the Swachh Bharat mission, people across the country are putting in efforts to educate other people about conservation of the environment.
Inspired by Prime Minister Modi's message, 13-year-old Aastha Thakur has taken up the task to make her area plastic-free. Aastha is a resident of the Tauli village, situated about 80 km away from Dehradun.
A student of class 9, Aastha after coming back from the school, along with her fellow members of the 'Baal Panchayat', makes paper bags and distribute them in the surrounding areas.
The idea is to make more and more people use these paper bags and to cut the use of plastic in their daily lives and preserve the environment.
13-year-old Aastha Thakur has taken up the task to make her area plastic-free Children distribute paper bags
According to Aastha, she got inspired by PM Modi’s Swachh Bharat mission, post which with the help of her grandfather she started making her house plastic-free.
She used to sit at her grandfather's shop and make paper bags and distribute it amongst the villagers.
To help her, Aastha made a Baal Panchayat of 28 school students of the age group of 5-14 years. The members of this group are taking up this fight against the use of plastic by making paper bags and educating everyone in the village about the menace of plastic.
School-House and the campaign
13-year-old Aastha Thakur goes to a school which is about 20 km away from the Tauli village. After coming back from the school, Aastha along with the members of the Baal Panchayat, engage themselves in running the campaign to make the Pachvadun area plastic-free zone.
They have been promoting their cause for the last one year.
Efforts are getting support
Recognising the efforts put-in by Aastha and her team, a number of NGO’s have come forward to help them in their cause.
Aastha is hopeful
Not only this, Aastha says that everyone in the society will have to be aware and cautious about conservation of the environment and minimise the use of plastics in our lives.
She says that though their campaign is at a small scale right now but sooner or later they would be able to make an impact by educating people about conservation of the environment.
Aastha got inspiration from her home
This campaign was initiated from her home only. Her grandfather, Amar Singh Thakur has been supporting her right from the start.
Thakur also appeals to all the customers coming to his shop, to not use plastic products. He himself is constantly engaged in collecting waste plastic from his shop and the adjoining areas.
He says that the entire area is facing a scarcity of water for irrigation, and in such a situation plastic which gets disposed of in the ground decreases soil fertility too.
Aastha’s father, Gopal Thakur says that though this campaign has started in a small village like theirs, this campaign, through the Baal Panchayat, has the potential to be replicated in different parts of the country, to educate people about conservation of the environment and stopping the use of plastic products.
An Effort
No matter how small is the effort, many a times, it is the start of a big revolution. A big and countrywide revolution is needed to make India plastic-free.
The efforts of 'team Aastha' are small in nature, but with proper guidance, it has the potential to become a countrywide campaign.
Also Read:Dehradun: Plastic banks established to collect waste from grass root level
