The World Environment Day was observed here on Monday under the chairmanship of DFO Sanjay Swain.
WCC Regional Deputy Director Abhijit Roy Chowdhury, Prof Anil Kumar Biswal, Mayurbhanj ADM Surath Kumar Mallik, District Environment Society vice-president Santosh Mohanty, DSP Karunakar Panigrahi and Rairangpur DFO Gorakh Kalunga graced as guests.
Describing the trees as the biggest oxygen-producing factory, the speakers urged upon all to plant trees and nurture them. Stating that Indian culture has always been in favour of living in harmony with nature, they opined that developmental activities should not be undertaken at the cost of nature.
As many as 24 Prakruti Bandhu awards were given away on this occasion. Each recipient was given a cheque of Rs 5,000 and a citation.