NATIONAL GREEN CORPS (Eco-club)

MoEFCC embarked upon a major initiative for creating environmental awareness among children by formulating National Green Corps (NGC) in 2001-02. NGC Programme aims at building cadres of young children working towards environmental conservation and sustainable development.

Operated through Eco-clubs set up in schools registered as members of NGC, this programme exposes school children to in-depth field experiences, and provides opportunities to convert their ideas into creative action. This programme seeks to redirect the consciousness of students towards environment friendly attitudes and actions and goes beyond schools, promoting school-society interactions to sensitize the society.

The phenomenal response that NGC has received has made the network more than 1,00,000 Eco clubs across the country in 16 years, making it one of the largest conservation networks. The unique partnership between the MoEFCC, the states Government agencies alongwith the dedicated NGOs, working in the field of Environmental Education has contributed to the success of the programme.

The broad objectives of this programme are:

• to impart knowledge to school children, through hands on experience, about their immediate environment, interactions within it and the problems therein
• to inculcate proper attitudes towards the environment and its conservation through community interactions
• to sensitize children to issues related to environment and development through field visits and demonstrations
• to motivate and stimulate young minds by involving them in action projects related to environmental conservation.

Every recognized school, with classes up to the XIIth standard, is eligible to start an Eco-club.

The activities of eco-clubs are coordinated and monitored through a decentralized mechanism with the Ministry of Environment & Forests at the National level, State Nodal Agencies at the State level, District Implementation and Monitoring Committees (DIMCs) at the district level and the Teachers-in-Charge at the School level.

To provide regular technical inputs for preparation of resource material, training of teachers, NGC activities, selection of schools etc., Resource Agencies have been appointed for each State / UT. These Resource Agencies interact with the State Nodal Agencies, the District Implementation and Monitoring Committees and the Teachers-in-charge on regular basis.

The number of schools supported under NGC per district is 250 with annual grant for each Eco-club being Rs.2,500/-. An additional amount of Rs. 25,000/- per district is given for monitoring at the district level. The State Nodal Agency gets a fee equivalent to 5% of the money released for eco-clubs and district monitoring as administrative charges. The Resource Agencies get a fee equivalent to 3% of the money released for eco-clubs.