BMS Rayagada celebrated Amrita Balidan Diwas as National Environment Day, took a pledge to save trees and contain pollution
Rayagada (Dr Badal Kumar Tah): Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh(BMS), Rayagada celebrated Veerangna Amrita Balidan Diwas as National Environment Day or Paryavaran Diwas by planting hundreds of medicinal, fruit bearing saplings & forest base species near Laxmi Nrusigha temple, in Srikshetra Township at Amlabhatta Chowk, Kolnara. A pledge was taken to protect the environment under the leadership of Jogeswar Das, State Vice President of BMS. In a similar manner, this programme was furthered by the environment wings of BMS in different blocks of Rayagada district.
The plantation programme was initiated by Bidulata Huika, State Convenor, Odisha Adibasi Mancha and Mahila Pramukh, SAKSHAM Paschim Prant. Other guests namely Dr. Badal Kumar Tah, Sr Journalist and and State President of Odisha Union of Working Journalists, RSS Nagar Karyabaha Bidyabhushan Panda, Kolnara Khand Karyabaha Radha Mohan Dora, District Environment Coordinator Manoj Gowda, BMS’s Executive President Dharma Singh Nag, District Secretary Ganesh Kumar Sahu and District Coordinator of Paryavaran Manch Durga Madhav Ghosh, Mohan Rao Majhi, Arun Lenka, Usharani Dash, Neha Singh, Sundar Rao Kadraka, K Ram Babu, Anand Rawal and others participated in the plantation programme.
Apart from Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Representatives of Paryavaran Manch, Vishwakarma Mazdoor Sangh, All Odisha Anganwadi Ladies Workers Association, Business Mazdoor Sangh, Temple authorities, Asha Karmi Sangh, Safai Karmachari Mazdoor Sangh, JK Paper Mills Mazdoor Sangh, along with forest department officials planted several saplings.
It has to be noted that on 28 August 1730, the king of Jodhpur state sent his soldiers and laborers to cut forest in Khejri village in Rajasthan state. All the people of the village vehemently opposed the cutting of trees, but the soldiers and laborers obeyed the king’s orders and started cutting the tree. When a woman of the village Amrita Devi Vishnoi came to know about this, she came and clung to the tree to save the tree, but the laborers cut off her head at the behest of the soldiers. After that, his two daughters also came and clung to the tree. The workers beheaded them too. In this way, all the 363 people of the village sacrificed their lives one by one. When Jodhpur Maharaja came to know about this heart-rending incident, he came to the village and apologized to all the villagers and ordered not to cut the trees. From that day onwards, this day is celebrated and the work of saving trees is done. Hence Amrita Devi’s martyrdom day is celebrated as national environment day by BMS throughout the country.
