Ek Bharath Shrestha Bharth, 2021
The ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ (EBSB) programme is based on the idea of a sustained and structured cultural connect between people of different regions residing in India. This idea was propounded by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the Rashtriya Ekta Divas held on 31st October, 2015. This programme considers the pairing of different states and UTs in order to promote mutual understanding between people and establish cultural exchanges to further human bonding for our nation-building. As this year Maharashtra has been paired with Odisha, the ENVIS Centres of both these states will be contributing towards the celebration of this event.
The Environmental Information System (ENVIS) collects, collates and disseminates information and various knowledge products on different environment related thematic areas and generate awareness among the stakeholders via the ENVIS Hubs and Resource Partners which are hosted in the Environment / Forest Department of State Governments / UT Administrations and environment-related governmental and non-governmental organizations / institutes of professional excellence. Thus, the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme has been included in the ENVIS awareness and outreach programmes for a wider circulation for creating public awareness and promoting cultural integration.
On this account, the ENVIS Resource Partner on Avian Ecology at Bombay Natural History Society and the ENVIS Centre for Environmental Studies at the Forest and Environment Department of Government of Odisha jointly organized the following events:
1)
A webinar on
‘Habitat Ecology of Birds’ was organized for the amateur birdwatchers and students on April 17, 2021. The guest speaker was Ms Swetashree Purohit, Ph.D. Student, Central University of Orissa. The objective of this webinar was to provide knowledge about the distribution of species according to their habitats, and highlight the different geographical regions in India. Mr Viraj Athalye, Data Entry Operator, BNHS-ENVIS inaugurated the session and Ms Sushmita Karmakar, Information Officer, BNHS-ENVIS brief regarding the EBSB to all. She later introduced Mr Nandkishor Dudhe, Programme Officer, BNHS-ENVIS who briefed regarding the ENVIS RP and the BNHS. She then introduced Mr Pravat Mohan Dash, Programme Officer, CES, Odisha, who briefed regarding the ENVIS Hub and introduced the speaker. The Q&A session was conducted by Mr Viraj Athalye, where the enthusiastic queries of participants were deftly handled by the expert. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms Sushmita Karmakar. Mr Suraj Gosavi, IT Officer, BNHS-ENVIS managed the technical part of the whole session. The webinar saw 239 participants.
2)
A webinar on
‘Biology of birds’ was organised on April 18, 2021. The guest speaker wasDr Siba Prasad Parida. He gave an engaging and illustrative session on biology of birds, their lifestyle and various other unique information regarding the bird behaviour. Ms Sushmita Karmakar, Information Officer, BNHS-ENVIS inaugurated the session and briefed regarding EBSB. She welcomed Mr Nandkishor Dudhe, Programme Officer, BNHS-ENVIS who briefed regarding the ENVIS RP and the BNHS. She then introduced Mr Pravat Mohan Dash, Programme Officer, CES, Odisha, who briefed regarding the ENVIS Hub and introduced the speaker. The Q&A session was conducted by Ms Sushmita Karmakar where the enthusiastic queries of participants were deftly handled by the expert, and she later concluded the session with a vote of thanks. Mr Suraj Gosavi, IT Officer, BNHS-ENVIS and Mr Viraj Athalye, Data Entry Operator, BNHS-ENVIS managed the technical part of the whole session. The webinar saw 206 participants.
3)
A webinar on
‘Bird migration study techniques’ was presented on 24 April 24, 2021 by Ms Tuhina Katti, Scientist-B, BNHS. She explained the various techniques used to study bird migration, their pros and cons and the techniques suitable for particular species of birds. She also highlighted the work that has been carried out by BNHS in studying migratory birds using maps and illustrations.
Mr Nandkishor Dudhe, Programme Officer, BNHS-ENVIS inaugurated the session and briefed regarding EBSB, ENVIS RP, and BNHS. He then welcomed Mr Pravat Mohan Dash, Programme Officer, CES, Odisha, who briefed regarding the ENVIS Hub. Later, Mr Dudhe introduced the speaker. The Q&A session was conducted by Ms Sushmita Karmakar, Information Officer, BNHS-ENVIS where the enthusiastic queries of participants were deftly handled by the expert, and she later concluded the session with a vote of thanks. Mr Suraj Gosavi, IT Officer, BNHS-ENVIS and Mr Viraj Athalye, Data Entry Operator, BNHS-ENVIS managed the technical part of the whole session. The webinar saw 328 participants.
4)
An Online Quiz Competition was organized on the topic
‘Know Your Birds’ from May 19-24, 2021 for the students of classes 5-10. The ENVIS RP at BNHS and ENVIS Hub at CES-Odisha jointly took this initiative which saw 702 participants. The questions were designed to provide general knowledge regarding the birds and the National parks and Sanctuaries of India.
5) A poster on the threatened bird species of Maharashtra was released on June 15, 2021. It depicted the nine endangered (EN) species as shown below:
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