Ek Ped Ek Zindagi: Dainik Bhaskar’s CSR initiative to drive behavioral change towards plantation and nurturing of saplings
Planting a tree is not just digging the soil and planting a sapling. The key lies in nurturing the planted saplings which, if done properly, will contribute immensely in increasing green cover and ensuring ecological balance.
With an objective of planting and nurturing the planted saplings, Dainik Bhaskar Group has initiated “Ek Ped Ek Zindagi” (One Tree, One Life) campaign across India, which aims to motivate people to plant at least one sapling in their name and take care to nurture it till it becomes a fully grown tree. From 6th July, the initiative has been rolled out in 34 cities of ten states Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Under the aegis of this initiative, special emphasis is being given to planting native trees and medicinal plants.
India has 15 Agroclimatic zones and 17,000-18,000 species of flowering plants of which 6,000- 7,000 are estimated to have medicinal usage in folk and documented systems of medicine, like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy. Some common medicinal plants are Kalmegh( Andrographis paniculata), Mithi Tulsi (Stevia spp), Brahmi (Bacopa monneire), Guar Patha (Aloe vera).Native Trees ,such as Kachnar(Bauhinia variegate), Amaltas(Cassia fistula), usually require less efforts to care for, provide more nutritious food for birds, supports greater diversity of insects (which in turn become food for birds) and generally allow for more diverse plant life as they don’t suppress other plant life by outcompeting them. At present, a wide range of medicinal plants and native trees are either threatened to extinction due to rapid deforestation, urbanization and lack of awareness about their importance.
» Conducting plantation drives to green police stations, schools and colleges in these ten states
» Driving beautification initiative in one of the prominent locations of each city
» Beautification of a long stretch of wall with street art by engaging citizens in each city
When asked about the rationale of the initiative, Vinay Maheshwari, Senior Vice President-Sales and Market Development & Brand Marketing, Dainik Bhaskar Group, said that “We, at Dainik Bhaskar, believe that driving behavioral change is integral to our efforts towards ensuring environmental sustainability. Nowadays, everyone is aware of the harmful effects of Deforestation and Global Warming, yet we tend to miss out the simple things which one can easily do to enrich the natural capital. Planting a tree with one’s own name will not only create an emotional connect with people but will also help them nurture it as their own family member.”
Vikas Singh, Associate Vice President- Brand Marketing, Dainik Bhaskar Group stressing on the importance of the initiative said that “Under the aegis of the initiative, we would be driving behavioral change in close cooperation with key stakeholders of the society including Govt. organizations, schools, NGOs and other corporate houses. Properly nurtured tree saplings not only contribute directly to the local environment, but also have a deep cascading effect of regeneration and propagation of the entire ecological processes. By simple act of planting and nurturing trees one never realizes its significance but is actually contributing to the herculean task of saving the planet”
At Dainik Bhaskar, corporate social responsibility is not merely compliance; it is a commitment to undertake initiatives in the areas of Environment Sustainability, Computer Education and other Community Development Initiatives. Over the years, it has focused not only on the business aspect of the group, but also on how it can be a catalyst in driving the much needed social economic transformation in the country.