Success story of Hariyo Makha initiative celebrated

SINGTAM, March 16: A felicitation program was organized at the school premises of Adarsh Vidhya Mandir (AVM), Singbel, East Sikkim on March 14. Shital Pradhan, a teacher and a blogger was the Chief Guest of the day. The event also saw the presence of B.B. Chettri (Headmaster, Dipudara Primary School), Lomas Dhungel (Founder cum Developer, Hariyo Makha), Bhim Prasad Nepal (1971 Bangladesh war veteran), along with SMCs, SHGs, students and locals.

The event was the celebration of the success story of Hariyo Makha initiative. Lomas Dhungel led Hariyo Makha initiative had shared his idea on upcycling plastics for book covers to Ajambari Self Help Group (Singbel) for a social experiment on cleanliness. For this purpose, a small Plastic Collection centre was established at Singbel in November last year. 

More than 300 volunteers including the public, students and teachers from 11 government and 2 private schools from both East and South districts had collected and donated around 30,000 plastic pieces that were up-cycled for making more than 2100 book covers of AVM. The schools included Makha SSS, Singtam SSS, Sonamati Memorial SSS, Bermiok Tokal SSS, Lower Samdong SS, Tumin SS, Kambal JHS, Singbel JHS, Bhirkuna JHS, Dipudara PS, Kokaley PS, Adarsh Vidhya Mandir and Bethesda Academy. Lomas Dungel won National Award last year for his initiative.

Assuming a weight of 5 gm per plastic, the idea led to a reduction in waste by 150 kg along with countless areas required for their disposal. In addition to cleanliness, the experiment also led to a new type of Seasonal Employment earning a total of Rs. 21,000 out of the works.  A part of the revenue is also expected to be utilized for the educational purpose of at least two female SHG members, said Lomas Dhungel.

Shital Pradhan, the Chief Guest of the day appreciated the efforts of the SHGs in completing their goals. He added such a program should be supported and shared with other parts of the state. The student volunteers and SHG members also received certificates from the hands of the Chief Guest. Other speakers of the day included B.B. Chettri and HL Adhikari, Principal, Adarsh Vidhya Mandir.