Summary of Initiatives – Environment

1. Launch of Meghalaya Plastic Challenge (under Swachh Bharat Mission): The Meghalaya Plastic Challenge was launched on October 2019 as an initiative to make Meghalaya Plastic Free by 2022 by encouraging people and the community to collect their plastic waste so that it can be used for constructing Plastic roads and /or by cement companies as a source of fuel.
2. Launch of Meghalaya One Citizen, One Tree Initiative: The ‘Meghalaya One Citizen One Tree’ campaign, an initiative of the Government of Meghalaya, was launched on June 2019 to mark World Environment Day. With the State fast losing its forest cover, the campaign aims at people’s involvement in planting more trees. All districts in the State were covered in the mass plantation drive wherein all indigenous plants raised by the community across the State were provided to citizens who wanted to participate in the campaign. In all, 460 villages across the 46 community and rural development blocks planted 1,000 saplings each. Besides this, a million saplings were planted in 306 spring sheds and catchment areas across the state. The planting was overseen by the state’s soil and water conservation department in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development’s (NABARD) regional office in Shillong.
3. Launch of Shillong My Passion Initiative: ‘Shillong My Passion’ is a community driven initiative for a cleaner and greener environment. The Chief Minister termed the initiative as the beginning of a ‘revolution’ while stating that the success of the programme would largely depend on the commitment of each and every individual. An initiative of the chief minister and East Khasi Hills district deputy commissioner, the movement aims to inspire collective responsibility to make Shillong city clean and healthy.