Page 91 - EducationWorld April 2020 low res 48 mb_Neat

Young Achievers

merica cash prize will suit against five countries — Argen-
enable me to start pro- tina, Brazil, France, Germany and
duction and eventu- Turkey — under the United Nations
ally benefit millions of Convention on the Rights of the
farmers countrywide,” Child, 1989, for failing to substan-
he says. tially reduce their carbon emissions.
On the other hand, The elder of two children of
Vaishnavi has been Dinesh Pandey, a field officer of the
awarded for promoting Wildlife Trust of India, and Vinita,
Flawless Flaws, a first- a beat officer in Uttarakhand’s for-
of-its-type awareness est department, Ridhima began
and support campaign her green crusade when she was
run by Tagore Inter- just nine after she moved with her
national School, to parents from the small town of
sensitise society about Haldwani to the holy city of Harid-
acid attacks on women. war in 2013. “I was deeply moved by
ARANYO RAY & Through street plays and cultural pictures of floating trees, cars, ani-
programmes the campaign’s vol-
mals, flooded homes and especially
VAISHNAVI PANDEY unteers raise funds for survivors to of weeping children in the devastat-
meet medical expenses, check illegal
ing floods of 2013. Three years later
sale of acid by pharmacies and find in 2016, I accompanied my father
ranyo Ray and Vaishnavi suitable jobs for survivors. “A chance to the national capital and filed a
Pandey — higher second- interaction with spirited acid attack petition before NGT, praying for a
Aary students of Kalyani survivor Laxmi Agarwal four years directive to the Central government
Public School, Barasat (West ago inspired me to start Flawless to fight climate change. The tribunal
Bengal) and Tagore International Flaws in 2016 with the support of my dismissed my petition. I hope the Su-
School, Delhi respectively — were school principal Nikita Mann Tomar, preme Court will act on this urgent
adjudged national winners of the senior education advisor Madhulika matter,” she says.
Pramerica Spirit of Community Sen and mentor Vedica Saxena who Committed to saving our fragile
Awards (PSCA) 2020 at a glittering encouraged and guided this initia- Planet Earth from environmental
ceremony held in Delhi on February tive,” says this can-do social activist. upheavals, Ridhima is clear about
24. Both were presented with a gold Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata) & her future study options. “I am
medallion, certificates of excellence, Paromita Sengupta (Bangalore) exploring pre-university courses and
a cash prize of Rs.50,000 and round a bachelor’s programme in environ-
trip to Washington DC. mental science in Indian and foreign
Launched in India in 2010 as an universities. My ultimate dream is to
initiative of Pramerica Life Insur- RIDHIMA PANDEY work full-time with the Environment
ance Ltd — a joint venture of the Conservation Trust, an NGO pro-
US-based Prudential Financial and moted by my father in 2019, and to
DHFL Investments (India) — PSCA idhima Pandey (13), a class IX co-ordinate a national Clean Ganga
is an annual awards programme student of the CBSE-affiliated campaign, ban plastic, recycle waste
which acknowledges and celebrates RBMDAV Centenary Public and undertake other green projects
pre-collegiate youth who positively School, Haridwar, Uttarakhand is to save India’s children and youth,”
impact their local communities the Indian counterpart of Swedish says this committed environment
through voluntary service. teenage green warrior and environ- activist.
Disturbed by the harmful effects mental activist Greta Thunberg, who Autar Nehru (Delhi)
of toxic pesticides on farmers and was recently named Time magazine’s
the environment in Ranaghat, his Person of the Year 2019.
native village, Aranyo has developed She persuaded the Supreme
two scientific, sustainable and af- Court to review her 2017
fordable organic pesticides branded petition complaining of gov-
NanoCide and SoyaSafe. The main ernment inaction against
component of NanoCide is rice husk climate change which was
ash, an abundant agricultural waste rejected by National Green
and SoyaSafe is a methyl jasmonic Tribunal (NGT) on the plea
acid (MeJA) extract from phyto- that it contained “flimsy
hormones found in all plant life, grounds”.
especially the jasmine flower. In September 2019, Rid-
“NanoCide and SoyaSafe have hima was invited to join a
been successfully tested in 1,820 group of 15 student activists
farms in Ranaghat with the ready worldwide led by Thunberg,
assistance of the local panchayat which congregated in New
and farmers’ cooperatives. The Pra- York to file a landmark law-

APRIL 2020 EDUCATIONWORLD 91