One of India’s most iconic monuments became a canvas for conservation on World Environment Day as the story of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, known locally as Godawan, was projected onto Delhi’s Qutub Minar. The large-scale installation highlighted the bird’s gradual revival amid decades of decline.
Once a contender for India’s national bird, the Godawan had faded from public consciousness as its numbers dwindled across the country’s grasslands. Recent developments, however, signal growing recognition and renewed hope for the species’ survival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spotlighted the Godawan in the 133rd episode of Mann Ki Baat, praising India’s wildlife conservation efforts. In May, Rajasthan observed its first state-level Godawan Day on May 21 to boost awareness.
A public tribute supported by Godawan Estuary Premium Water aimed to enhance ecological literacy around one of the world’s rarest birds and its revival. The event brought together conservationists, local communities, private partners and government agencies.
“What makes this effort encouraging is the coming together of multiple stakeholders with a shared commitment towards conservation,” said Kedar Shrimal, president of Gramodaya Samajik Sansthan in a statement.
“This growing spirit of collaboration is helping build greater awareness, stronger ecosystems, and renewed hope for the future of the species.”
Conservation efforts have intensified through scientific intervention and community participation. Initiatives include restoring native grasslands, fencing nesting sites, improving water availability, captive breeding programmes and predator management. Local Bishnoi community members have played a key role in monitoring and protecting breeding grounds.
Encouraging signs emerged in May with new hatchlings from breeding and hatchery programmes in Rajasthan, supported by specialised transport for relocating eggs and chicks when needed.
Balrampur Chini Mills Limited (BCML) formally launched Bioyug Green Command 2026 on Friday, marking World Environment Day with a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at accelerating India’s bioplastics revolution and reducing the nation’s dependence on conventional petroleum-based plastics.
The launch, held in collaboration with the Lucknow Cantonment Board, was presided over by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as chief guest, signalling growing government support for bio-based indigenous manufacturing as a strategic national priority.
The event formalised a landmark collaboration between Balrampur Bioyug and the Lucknow Cantonment Board following an earlier memorandum of understanding and BCML’s first institutional order for compostable polylactic acid (PLA)-based products. PLA, derived from sugarcane, is a fully organic bioplastic that breaks down within 180 days and converts into compost rather than waste.
Speaking at the launch, BCML Chairman and Managing Director Vivek Saraogi said India stood at a defining moment where economic growth and environmental responsibility must advance together.
“Through Bioyug Green Command 2026, we are bringing together government, industry, institutions and communities to accelerate this transition and demonstrate how innovation-led solutions can contribute meaningfully to a cleaner, greener and more self-reliant India,” Saraogi said.
Executive Director Avantika Saraogi framed the shift to biomaterials as an economic opportunity as much as an environmental necessity.
“The last century belonged to oil and petrochemicals; the next can belong to farmers and fields,” she said. “The materials of the future will not only be mined from beneath the earth but cultivated above it, through the power of agriculture.”
Addressing the gathering, Defence Minister Singh drew attention to the accelerating public health toll of microplastics, citing scientific research indicating that approximately 350,000 people die globally each year due to microplastic exposure, with plastic particles now detectable in the blood of newborns.
Singh highlighted the national security dimension of the transition to bioplastics, noting that India’s existing 20% ethanol blending programme had shielded the domestic economy from supply chain disruptions triggered by recent West Asian geopolitical turbulence.
“By generating resources from our sugarcane, rice, and organic waste, we will strengthen our security framework,” Singh said. “While fulfilling our environmental obligations, we can become a self-reliant, bio-based economy.”
Two high-level panel discussions formed a centrepiece of the programme. The first, titled “Mandate to Market: Unlocking the Bioplastics Value Chain in Uttar Pradesh,” examined policy support and market opportunities required to scale bioplastics adoption. The second, “From Mess to Mission: Bioplastics for Defence,” explored sustainable material integration within defence establishments.
A parallel highlight was the felicitation of meritorious ITI girl students from Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, participating in the “Building Skills. Transforming Futures” initiative — a women-focused 3D printing training programme using Bioyug PLA, run by Balrampur Foundation in partnership with ITI Mohammadi.
BCML, one of India’s largest integrated sugar companies, is currently developing the country’s first PLA plant with a capacity of 80,000 tonnes per annum. The company operates ten sugar factories across Uttar Pradesh with an aggregate crushing capacity of 80,000 TCD.
The event drew participation from over 2,000 stakeholders spanning government, industry, academia, defence, and civil society.
Bioyug Green Command 2026 is anchored in the proposition that “the future of materials is grown, not drilled,” positioning India’s agricultural base as the foundation of its emerging circular bioeconomy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday marked World Environment Day by highlighting how his government’s initiatives over the past decade have driven expanding green cover and boosted populations of several animal species across India.
In a post on X, Modi applauded citizens’ collective efforts, backed by science, innovation and policy, in improving the environment. He described the day as a reminder to reaffirm commitment to sustainable growth and environmental protection.
“Some of India’s key successes include expanding green cover and a rise in the population of several animals,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister pointed to notable conservation achievements, including recovery programmes for the Great Indian Bustard, snow leopards, sloth bears and cheetahs. He also credited the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative with adding nearly 119,000 hectares of forest cover annually.
Guided by the principle of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, the government will continue its Mission LiFE efforts toward a cleaner, greener and more sustainable planet, he added.
World Environment Day, observed annually on June 5, was established by the United Nations Environment Programme in 1973 and remains one of the largest global platforms for environmental awareness. Azerbaijan is hosting the 2026 celebrations.
SOS Children’s Villages India has launched a nationwide sapling plantation drive, planting more than 5,000 saplings to mark World Environment Day, engaging children, caregivers, and local communities in environmental conservation efforts.
The initiative, aligned with this year’s theme “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future,” spans 32 SOS Children’s Villages and multiple Family Strengthening Programme locations from Jammu & Kashmir to Tamil Nadu and Gujarat to Assam.
The plantations include a mix of fruit-bearing, medicinal, native, and climate-resilient species such as neem, moringa, mango, gooseberry, guava, lemon, jackfruit, and custard apple.
“Environmental sustainability is closely linked to child well-being and community resilience. Through this plantation drive, we aim to contribute to a greener future,” said Sumanta Kar, CEO, SOS Children’s Villages India.
He added that every sapling planted represents a commitment to future generations and a healthier planet.
Latur recorded the highest number with over 2,000 saplings, while Shillong focused on medicinal and wild edible species through partnerships with local stakeholders. Several locations prioritised fruit-bearing and indigenous varieties to support both ecological restoration and community well-being.
SOS Children’s Villages India has partnered with local institutions and government bodies to enhance community participation in this World Environment Day initiative.
Environmental challenges spanning waste management, agriculture, and clean technology are creating significant opportunities for India’s circular economy, according to Suranjana Ghosh, Head of Marico Innovation Foundation.
India generates an estimated 350 million tonnes of agricultural waste annually, much of which holds substantial industrial and economic potential if converted into valuable resources rather than discarded.
“Environmental challenges today are increasingly interconnected… Across sectors, we are seeing growing evidence that environmental challenges can be addressed through practical solutions,” Ghosh said.
She emphasised that sustainability is now viewed as an opportunity to create economic value, citing innovations that convert crop residue into sustainable materials, fuels, and industrial inputs, alongside waste-to-value technologies that strengthen recycling ecosystems.
“More than innovation itself, the challenge today is creating the right conditions for adoption. Access to markets, industry partnerships and implementation support will be critical,” Ghosh added.
As World Environment Day 2026 focuses on climate action, Ghosh called for translating innovation into measurable outcomes to build a USD 2 trillion circular economy that could generate 10 million jobs by 2050.
“India does not lack innovative solutions… the focus must be on translating innovation into measurable outcomes that strengthen circularity, improve resource efficiency, and create long-term impact,” she said.
The partnership targets three key areas at the 30-year-old craft bazaar: greener landscaping, upgraded promenade lighting to extend evening footfall, and hygiene improvements to washroom facilities — changes designed to serve the hundreds of artisans from across India who depend on the haat as a primary marketplace.
The announcement aligns with Delhi’s broader push to develop a night-time tourism economy.
“Dilli Haat-INA is a perfect example of an evening destination that supports our vision,” said Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister of Delhi, adding that the government is committed to positioning Delhi as a leading global destination.
“We are also focused on building a strong night tourism economy that allows visitors to experience the city well beyond sundown.”
Art, Culture and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra described the market as a meeting point between artisans who bring crafts from across the country and visitors who come to experience India’s heritage.
“Collaborations like this one with MakeMyTrip Foundation help us deliver tangible improvements on the ground,” Mishra said.
DTTDC Managing Director Suneel Anchipaka, IAS, said improved lighting would be critical as Delhi scales its evening tourism offering, making the haat more inviting for families well into the night.
For MakeMyTrip Foundation, the Dilli Haat INA renovation marks a first step into urban cultural tourism, following a decade of work in afforestation, mangrove plantation along the Gujarat coast, and community-based tourism in the Himalayas.
“Our aim here is not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to contribute to making this space more sustainable,” said Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip and Managing Trustee of the Foundation.
Dilli Haat-INA, located in south Delhi’s INA colony, has operated for over three decades as a permanent crafts fair hosting artisans from every state, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
EBG Foundation launched Sambhav Hai on Earth Day, a nationwide rural sustainability programme spearheaded by EBG Group Founder and Chairman Dr Irfan Khan, targeting carbon-neutral villages across India through a phased, data-driven framework that begins with the adoption of Charla Thanda village in Telangana’s Nalgonda district.
The initiative marks one of the most ambitious grassroots climate programmes announced in India this year, with a Rs 30 crore allocation for its first phase covering 50 villages, expanding to 150 villages in Year 2 and scaling to 750 villages in Year 3 with government institutional support. The programme aims to reduce carbon emissions by 10 to 20 percent within the first year, progressing toward full carbon neutrality within three years.
“Real change cannot come from isolated interventions. With Sambhav Hai, we are building a model where environmental sustainability, economic progress, and community ownership go hand in hand. Our aim is to empower villages with the tools, data, and accountability systems they need to lead their own transformation and contribute meaningfully to India’s climate goals,” said Dr Irfan Khan, Founder and Chairman, EBG Group
At Charla Thanda, on-ground interventions have already begun with household-level data mapping to establish a comprehensive climate and resource baseline. The programme will focus on improving access to safe drinking water, strengthening groundwater recharge systems and implementing structured waste segregation and composting solutions. Afforestation drives and regenerative land practices will run in parallel, with local volunteers trained to sustain efforts over the long term.
The village is being developed as a live demonstration of the Foundation’s Minus One Village model — a replicable blueprint designed to be scaled across regions and geographies.
“Sambhav Hai’s success will be tracked through a robust framework that integrates water, energy, waste, food and land systems, along with carbon footprint metrics under the Minus One Village model. This ensures that the impact is measurable, accountable, and scalable across geographies.” — Suresh Goyal, Additional Director, EBG Foundation
“What began as a simple idea has evolved into a powerful movement for large-scale transformation. By placing villages at the centre of climate action and bridging the gap between policy and on-ground implementation, Sambhav Hai creates a pathway for communities to actively lead India’s journey towards environmental resilience.” — Ranjitha M, Additional Director, EBG Foundation
In parallel with its phased village rollout, the Foundation said it would initiate work across multiple states as part of a broader national expansion, extending the programme’s footprint beyond Telangana into a pan-India rural sustainability movement.
Every monsoon, plantation drives sweep across India. Corporate volunteers gather, saplings are planted, photographs are taken, and annual CSR reports celebrate impressive numbers.
But after the cameras leave, the real question begins: how many of those saplings will survive five years later? Programs such as those implemented by SayTrees Environmental Trust demonstrate this shift, with over 9 million saplings planted across 20,000+ hectares of farmland supporting more than 25,000 farmers through agroforestry systems, capturing over 120,000–160,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually while improving soil health and farm resilience.
Planting a tree is the easiest part of the process. Protecting it, nurturing it, and allowing it to become part of a thriving ecosystem is the real work. And that work does not end with a plantation event, it begins there. Such agroforestry landscapes can capture over 120,000–160,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually while improving soil health and farm resilience.
India’s climate ambitions demand more than symbolic greening. They demand ecological integrity.
India has committed to creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2030 through increased forest and tree cover. Achieving this target cannot depend on plantation numbers alone, it requires ecosystems that survive and mature.
Recent debates around commercial plantations and forest leasing have renewed an old question: what qualifies as a forest? A plantation, especially one driven by short-term economic returns, is not automatically a forest. Forests are living systems composed of native species, layered canopies, soil microbiology, water cycles, and biodiversity networks that evolve over decades.
When restoration is reduced to numbers, ecological complexity is lost.
Across the country, survival rates of plantation drives often drop sharply after the first few years due to inadequate maintenance, poor species selection, water stress, grazing pressures, and lack of community engagement. Reviews of afforestation efforts by institutions such as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) have pointed to gaps between plantation targets and long-term ecological outcomes. A sapling in the soil is only the first step in a 20-year ecological journey. Without protection and monitoring, it rarely becomes a mature canopy.
A living forest, particularly in urban and peri-urban landscapes, performs multiple functions simultaneously. According to research by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) and studies by institutions such as IISc Bengaluru, dense native tree cover can help moderate urban heat, reduce runoff during heavy rainfall, stabilise soil, and improve air quality. As Indian cities experience rising temperatures and more intense rainfall events, these ecological services are no longer optional, they are essential infrastructure.
But these benefits emerge only through thoughtful ecological design: native species diversity, multi-layered canopy planning, soil restoration, and long-term stewardship.
Equally critical is community partnership. Restoration efforts that exclude local communities rarely endure. Evidence from Joint Forest Management initiatives across India shows that when local communities participate in protection and monitoring, survival and regeneration outcomes improve significantly.
Ecological restoration is not merely a technical exercise; it is a long-term social commitment.
CSR in India has the potential to support meaningful ecological regeneration, but only if it shifts from annual plantation targets to multi-year restoration commitments. This means budgeting not only for saplings, but for maintenance, monitoring, and biodiversity support over five to ten years.
Climate action cannot be reduced to a photo opportunity.
India does not need more one-day plantation drives. It needs living forests, biodiverse, climate-resilient ecosystems that are designed to thrive long after the CSR cycle ends.
If corporate responsibility is to truly serve climate resilience in 2026 and beyond, the shift is clear: from planting trees to growing forests with life. Planting is an act. Growing is a commitment. And the future of India’s climate leadership depends on choosing the latter.
The writers are founder and co-founder of Bengaluru-based NGO SayTrees Environmental Trust.
HCLFoundation, which drives the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech in India, announced on Monday the expansion of its My Clean City program to Agra, Uttar Pradesh — the first city outside the Noida–Greater Noida belt to receive the initiative since its 2019 launch.
As part of the rollout, the foundation donated 10 e-drain carts, two e-street sweeping machines and one HomoSep robot — a mechanised septic tank cleaning device — to Agra Nagar Nigam, the city’s municipal body. The equipment is intended to reduce hazardous manual work while improving the scale and consistency of urban waste management.
The HomoSep robot, already deployed in Gautam Buddha Nagar, has cleared more than 100,000 litres of sludge across 452 manholes and sewer sites — removing sanitation workers from direct exposure to toxic conditions. The device represents a broader pivot within the program toward mechanisation as a tool for worker safety.
Since its launch, My Clean City has engaged nearly 750,000 citizens through behavioural sensitisation drives and trained more than 61,000 stakeholders on waste management practices. The program has managed over 17,000 tonnes of waste in Noida and Greater Noida, and runs a Waste Champions Club involving more than 2,400 school students.
The initiative also carries a social welfare component. Under its Social Inclusion of Sanitation Workers program, 200 sanitation worker families in Gautam Buddha Nagar receive support across health, education, financial literacy and skill development — a recognition that sustainable sanitation reform extends beyond infrastructure.
Five biogas plants, each processing between 1,500 and 1,800 kg of cow dung daily, have been established in the region as part of complementary clean energy efforts, generating fuel from waste material.
HCLFoundation said the Agra expansion reflects a strategy of replicating proven urban sanitation models in new municipal geographies. The foundation, which reported having positively impacted over 7.5 million lives to date, focuses thematically on education, health and sanitation, skill development, environment, and disaster risk reduction.
Jindal Stainless Limited, India’s leading stainless steel manufacturer, has launched Sanjeevan air purification at the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham (SKVD) complex in Varanasi, marking the company’s single largest corporate social responsibility initiative to date.
The breakthrough project targets the dense particulate haze generated by burning funeral pyres at the adjacent Manikarnika Ghat, one of Hinduism’s most sacred cremation sites.
The programme is being executed in partnership with Amida Cleantech Private Limited (AMIDA), whose proprietary ACE+ technology — independently verified by NITI Aayog — forms the operational backbone of the system. Fifty-eight stainless-steel purification units, installed on the SKVD Ramp Building that flanks Manikarnika Ghat, collectively process more than 3,00,000 cubic metres of ambient air per hour.
How ACE+ Works
The acronym ACE stands for Attract, Capture, and Eliminate. The system is engineered to neutralise a broad spectrum of airborne contaminants: nano-black carbon, pollens, organic particulate matter ranging from 100 nanometres to 50 microns, sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) from vehicular traffic, and microbial pathogens including viruses and bacteria. The technology’s multi-pollutant capability addresses the compounded burden of cremation smoke, temple-corridor exhaust fumes, and biological aerosols — all converging at one of India’s most densely visited religious sites.
“By improving air quality at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, we aim to enhance the environment for both local residents and the millions of devotees who visit this revered landmark. Our collaboration with Amida Cleantech showcases our support for innovative Indian technology while driving meaningful change.” Jindal Stainless said in a statement.
Alignment With National Policy
The Sanjeevan air purification initiative is formally aligned with the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which mandates measurable reductions in particulate pollution at the city, regional, and national level. SKVD authorities have formally approved the installation, a sanction that both companies regard as a critical enabling step for future rollouts at similarly congested heritage sites.
Amida Cleantech said the system is designed to capture a significant portion of cremation emissions at their source, and to reduce measured PM concentrations along the temple corridor — protecting pilgrims, resident priests, and the ornate stone façades of the SKVD’s historic buildings from accelerated chemical weathering caused by acidic smoke deposits.
Broader Significance
Analysts note that Manikarnika Ghat conducts cremations around the clock, 365 days a year, meaning continuous emission loads uncommon at most pollution hotspots. Deploying a validated, scalable ambient purification system in such a demanding environment could serve as a proof-of-concept for other heritage and high-density religious sites across India. Sanjeevan air purification, if it meets its stated targets, would represent a replicable model bridging cultural heritage preservation, public health, and clean-tech commercialisation.
Both Jindal Stainless and AMIDA were commended by local authorities for their commitment to the project. Amida Cleantech, whose guiding principle is “The Air You Breathe,” said ACE+ innovations are being positioned to address escalating ambient pollution across diverse high-exposure sectors — from industrial corridors to dense urban precincts.
