AMRITSAR: The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under its “Waste to Wealth” Mission launched the “Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship (SSF, 2021)” to recognize students, community workers/self-help groups, and municipal and sanitary workers who are engaged in tackling the enormous challenge of waste management, scientifically and sustainably. The Waste to Wealth Mission is one of the nine national missions of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). The fellowship is an initiative to empower young innovators who are engaged in community work of waste management and awareness campaigns/waste surveys/studies, etc. as Swachhta Saarthis and implement actions to reduce waste for a greener planet.
It is pride moment for the Guru Nanak Dev University and Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences as one of the research scholar Soubam Indrakumar Singh pursuing PhD under Prof. Dr. Adarsh Pal Vig, has been awarded Swachhta Saarthi Fellowships, (SSF, 2021) after selection by the expert committee (Letter enclosed). This award and monthly fellowship is in recognition of his work on Solid waste management through vermitechnology employing earthworms.
His supervisor, Dr. Adarsh Pal Vig, Head of Department (HOD), Dr. Jatinder Kaur, all faculty member, research scholar and students of the department congratulated Soubam IndraKumar Singh, for his selection in the fellowship and exemplary work to solve the problem of industrial waste through eco-friendly technology. Soubam IndraKumar Singh expressed his gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Jaspal Singh Sandhu for providing all the necessary facilities and encouragement to make the city and campus clean, green and safe for the coming generations.
Dr. Adarsh Pal Vig further elaborating on the Swaachta fellowship told that managing the waste we generate is one issue that has deep implications—those who generate waste are often not those who clear it. The Swachhta Saarthi Fellowships will recognize exemplary people from any walk of life who go beyond the call of duty in tackling waste and manage it scientifically and sustainably. The fellowships will target the very grassroots of Indian community participation and recognise efforts made by citizens to make India a zero-waste nation.” Targeted to encourage community participation, the Swachhta Saarthi Fellowships was invited for applications from students and community workers who have done previous work or are currently engaged in waste management activities, including awareness campaigns, surveys and studies.
The three categories of awards under the fellowships are as Category-A – Open to School students from 9th to 12th standards engaged in waste management community work Category-B – Open to College students (UG, PG, Research students) engaged in waste management community work Category-C – Open to Citizens working in the community and through SHGs, municipal or sanitary workers working beyond specifications of their job requirement/descriptions.