Nepal: Consulate General of India in Birgunj holds week-long LiFE mission

Kathmandu [Nepal]: The Consulate General of India, Birgunj organized a special week-long LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) mission, drawing dozens of participants.

The Indian Consulate in Birgunj stated in an official release that the aim of the mission launched in global scale is to nudge individual community action to protect and preserve the environment.

“Mission LiFE is an India-led global mass movement to nudge individual and community action to protect and preserve the environment,” Consul General Nitesh Kumar, who addressed the event, was quoted as saying in the release.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in 2021, introduced the Mission LiFE to the world at the 16th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.

Under Mission LiFE, the Consulate organized a panel discussion on ‘Healthy LifeStyle’ on June 20, on its premises.

On the occasion, Dr. Niraj Kumar Singh (MD Int-Med) and Dr Suchit Kumar Sharma (Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Social Development, Madhesh Pradesh) presented their views on how individuals could modify their lifestyle for a healthy living.

During the session on July 21, a panel discussion was held on ‘E-Waste Reduced’, which was presented by Bijay Kushwaha (Director, NIIT, Birgunj).

He enlightened the participants about the hazards of storing e-waste and not disposing them properly while encouraging the audience to prolong the use of electronic goods instead of replacing them quickly.

During the session on July 24, Ranjit Kumar Singh (cleanliness activist from Raxaul) and Jai Prakash Khetan (cleanliness activist from Birgunj) presented their views on reducing ‘single use plastic’ as far as practicable as their use leads to production of tons of plastic wastage around the world. Single use plastics take a very long time to decompose.

During the session held on July 25, Mahesh Agrawal, president, India-Nepal Seema Jagran Manch, and also a businessman and social activist from Raxaul, presented his views on ‘Sustainable Food System’.

He covered the contours of healthy food habits and the benefits of using millets while recalling how, in previous years, meals were planned in accordance with local conditions.

He also stressed on the cooking methods and the risks associated with the use of pressure cookers.

On July 26, an orientation Program on ‘Waste Reduced’ was held during which Sarfuddin Miya, in-charge, Sanitation Wing, Birgunj Metropolitan City and Mahesh Agrawal stressed minimal littering to help reduce waste and keep the area clean, green and healthy. They also stressed the need of planting more trees.

On July 27, Gobind Gupta, a chartered accountant and Priyanshu Gupta, a member of Nepal Engineers Association, presented their views on ‘Energy Saved’ and suggested ways to economise the use of energy.

They also described about Renewable and Non-renewable energy and demonstrated with statistics how reduced use of energy can benefit the society facing the risk of extinction of non-renewable energy.

The special week concluded with a discussion on ‘Water Saved’.

Niran Maharjan, chief of Nepal Water Supply Corporation, Birgunj and Priyanka Rauniyar, a chartered accountant, demonstrated how wastage leads to water crisis while suggesting ways to increase water level. They also emphasized the importance of rain water harvesting.

A total of seven sessions were conducted under Mission LiFE.

Around 100 members of civil society from Birgunj and the officials and staff of the Consulate attended the sessions.