https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

A Slew of Projects, A Ray of Hope For Sangrur

In Punjab’s Sangrur district, a green campaign called Amrit Van is running successfully. Heavy afforestation is part of this campaign, which is not only conserving traditional trees but also creating livelihood opportunities. School on Wheels is another project that is picking up steam in the district, bringing slum children back to mainstream education.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Popularly known as the City of Gurudwaras, the small and beautiful district of Sangrur in Punjab is recently witnessing a plethora of new developments and initiatives by the administration. DC Jitendra Jorwal, IAS, along with ADC Varjeet Walia, IAS, is coming up with beneficial projects in the district for the welfare of the people.

In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Varjeet Walia talked about the Amrit Van campaign and the School on Wheels project that have been taken up successfully by the Sangrur district administration. 

AMRIT VAN CAMPAIGN

The forest area in Sangrur is shrinking day by day, which is a matter of great concern. Taking this as a challenge, the district administration launched the Amrit Van campaign, dedicating it to the 75th year of the country’s Independence. Under the campaign, 75 acres of mini jungles will be planted in every rural block, making it a total of 600 acres in the entire district.

The aim is to reintroduce the concept of jungles in the villages. A village jungle should be part of the identity of each village, just like a chhapar (village pond) or phirni (village ring road). As compared to routine plantations, mini jungles will set up a unique biodiversity island within villages. Moreover, the survival rate of plants in such jungles will be above 95% with the help of dedicated ‘Vann Mitras’ who will be deputed for each forest.

“We collaborated with RoundGlass Foundation NGO and the forest department for the afforestation campaign. Our motto is to highlight the greatness of the age-old relationship between tree and man. Forests are the habitat of many animals and birds. This wealth of natural resources is our national capital, thanks to which, all life is possible. Where there is greenery, there is prosperity,” Mr. Walia said.

Amrit Vann Campaign

CREATING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Traditional trees have special importance in Punjab. By planting these traditional trees, one can also plant a forest or shrub in their village. By planting these forests, the administration, under the guidance of Mr. Jorwal, is looking forward to saving Punjab’s trees and endangered bird species.

Under the Amrit Van campaign, forests will be planted in all those villages in all the blocks of Sangrur, in which there is space for afforestation. The plantation and maintenance work will be done under the MGNREGA scheme, through which thousands of people will be able to learn a livelihood.

“The work of planting saplings will be done by the pocket card holders under the MGNREGA scheme. These job card holders will get employment of about 1100 days per acre in a year, which will prove to be beneficial for them,” shared the officer.

Providing employment through MGNREGA

SCHOOL ON WHEELS

The Sangrur district administration found that numerous kids from the slum areas were not attending school and staying back home. Even though the government has taken out policies to send every child to school, these kids were just enrolled on paper and never physically attended school. To deal with this issue, the administration came up with ‘School on Wheels’, a project for out-of-school children, named ‘Gyan Kirnan di Choh’ (touching the rays of knowledge).

“We decided to come up with avenues that could attract them so that with time, we could get them enrolled in mainstream education and society,” Mr. Walia told Indian Masterminds.

School on wheels bus

To do so, the administration deployed a yellow school bus, which does rounds every day, picking up around 25-30 children from the slums, driving them around, and then dropping them back home. A teacher deployed inside the bus imparts basic education to the kids in a fun-activity mode, with two Anganwadi workers, too, deployed to assist and take care of the children on board.

The bus has a seating arrangement for around 30 children and it has been equipped with various interactive tools – like coloring books, toys, and informative charts. The bus also has a mini library inside to help children inculcate a reading habit. To ensure the safety of children, the bus is equipped with a CCTV camera, fire extinguisher, and a first-aid kit.

“The kids are also taken to exciting locations such as beautiful parks, fish farms, picnic spots, driving schools, and other places that could attract them and, at the same time, impart knowledge to them, in one way or another,” he said.

The project has been a massive success, with children becoming more attentive and big growth in attendance rate. Kids from all over are lining up to sit on the bus and learn. The administration will gradually arrange for more buses for this purpose. They are also bringing the kids back to school for their mid-day meals and making them stay in the school for a couple of hours to get them into the habit of coming to school regularly.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
moil india
MOIL Ltd Bags Prestigious IBM 5-Star Rating Award for Excellence in Responsible Mining
One Nation One Election
Former CJIs Endorse 'One Nation, One Election' but Flag Concerns Over EC's Powers
NLC-INDIA-resized-neyvili
NLC India Approves ₹1,631 Crore Capital Boost for Renewable Subsidiary, Secures $100 Million ECB from Japan’s SMBC
NMDC Steel Ltd
Priyadarshini Gaddam Gets 6-Month Extension as Director (Finance) at NMDC Steel Ltd - Know More About Her
ips-officer Latest
ED Records Statement in New Money Laundering Case Against IPS Officer’s Husband
Sarbananda Sonowal
₹5,000 Crore Push for Northeast Waterways: Sonowal Unveils Major Connectivity, Tourism & Skill Development Plan
REC Limited
REC Limited Sets Up 2 New Subsidiaries to Power Maharashtra’s Transmission Grid - Details Inside
Gurugram Jungle Safari Vantara
Plan to Build Asia’s Largest Jungle Safari Proposed in Gurugram Inspired by Vantara, Gujarat
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-07 at 3.15
The Martial Artist IRS Officer Who Conquered North East India on a Cycle
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
IRS Sanjay Bahadur: The Officer With a Pen That Bites | Video Interview
Inderjit Singh Air India
Is Air India Carrying The Burden of Split Before Privatisation?
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS SHWETA BHARTI Bihar
From Wipro to Civil Services: How Bihar's IAS Shweta Bharti Juggled a BPSC Job While Preparing for UPSC
IAS Shweta Bharti, from rural Bihar, balanced a full-time job and UPSC prep with discipline, cracked...
IPS Deepak Meghani
Deepak Meghani, IPS: A Journey of Focus, Failure, and Quiet Discipline
A passionate writer, he has authored several books in Gujarati, ranging from exam strategy guides to...
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Social Media
Kaziranga Baby Elephant
Chotu the Baby Elephant Reunited with Mother in Kaziranga: Retired IFS Officer’s Post Goes Viral
A baby elephant's emotional reunion with its mother in Kaziranga, shared by retired IFS officer Susanta...
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu’s Visit to NADT Turns into a Wholesome Tribute to Legacy—and ‘Moolchandj
The Olympic champion shared nostalgic memories, met aspiring IRS officers, and sparked viral laughter...
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
moil india
MOIL Ltd Bags Prestigious IBM 5-Star Rating Award for Excellence in Responsible Mining
One Nation One Election
Former CJIs Endorse 'One Nation, One Election' but Flag Concerns Over EC's Powers
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-07 at 3.15
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
Inderjit Singh Air India
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT