Sarojini Nagar MLA Dr Rajeshwar Singh leads efforts to save forests and biodiversity in the Terai region. On Sunday, he organised Wildlife Conservation Event 5.0 at Mustafabad Forest Rest House in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. This event marks the fifth phase of his ‘Environment Warriors’ campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness among frontline forest workers, watchers, drivers, and guides. It encourages, honours, and trains them as true environmental warriors. Educationist Ambika Mishra, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Lalit Verma, and DFO Manish Singh also attended the event. They motivated the forest guards.
Wildlife Photography Workshop Teaches Vital Skills
The programme featured a two-day wildlife photography workshop led by photographer Sarosh Lodhi. Forest guards learned important photography techniques. Moreover, Dr Rajeshwar Singh praised the workshop and highlighted the power of images. He recalled the ‘Napalm Girl’ photo from the Vietnam War, which became a symbol worldwide. He also mentioned the “Earthrise” photo taken by Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968. This image inspired William Anders, who said they discovered Earth while seeking the moon.
Quiz Competition Engages Forest Workers
Following the workshop, the event held a quiz competition for 180 drivers and guides linked to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. Salim Shah won first prize of Rs 25,000. Jaswant Kumar took second prize of Rs 20,000. Rahul and Subhash shared third prize of Rs 15,000 and received citations. In addition, thirteen participants got consolation prizes of Rs 5,000 each. Ten participants with correct oral answers received binoculars.
Honouring Frontline Forest Protectors
Furthermore, the event honoured 30 watchers with bicycles. Five outstanding forest officers—Dinesh Giri, Dinesh Kumar, Jitendra Singh, Sarwan Singh, and Tularam—received special medals. Deputy Forest Officer Ramesh Chauhan earned special recognition for rescuing 140 turtles from smugglers.
Dr Rajeshwar Singh called forest conservation the nation’s biggest religion. He said the ‘Environment Warriors’ campaign promotes wildlife conservation and unites people to protect the environment. He warned that India, home to 18% of the world’s population, has only 4% of freshwater resources. Air pollution kills 6,500 people daily and has reduced life expectancy by five years. Biodiversity suffers too, with three species going extinct every hour. Since 1970, India lost 60% of its wildlife population. Human activities caused 99% of endangered species to vanish.
Uttar Pradesh Leads in Forest Conservation
Dr Singh praised Uttar Pradesh’s progress under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The state planted over 200 crore saplings in eight years. It added 559.19 square kilometres of forest area. The number of tigers in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve has doubled, marking a key achievement.
The campaign began on 12 January 2025, Youth Day, with several events. The first took place at Guru Govind Singh Degree College, Palia Kalan. It launched a digital library and gave tablets to five meritorious students. The event awarded bicycles to 30 forest guards and honoured five forest personnel. The ‘Pride of Terai’ award also featured.
The second event at Motipur Guest House, Bahraich, hosted an inter-school quiz with 81 students from 12 schools. Forest workers received bicycles and honours.
The third event at Mustafabad Guest House, Pilibhit, held debates and quizzes for students from ten schools. It presented ‘Pride of Terai’ and ‘Pride of Pilibhit’ awards. The team planted 1,000 trees and inaugurated solar water holes, the Tara Shakti Centre, a smart classroom, and the Ran Bahadur Singh Digital Education and Youth Empowerment Centre. Forest workers also received bicycles and honours.
Finally, the fourth event at Kishanpur Forest Guest House, Kheri, organised painting and quiz contests for 250 students from 17 schools. The event awarded bicycles to 30 watchers and honoured five forest workers.
Dr Rajeshwar Singh thanked Maa Pitambra Trust for supporting the campaign’s successful organisation.
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