Train to showcase biodiversity of the country
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, Railway Minister DV Sadananda Gowda and Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh jointly flagged off the Science Express Biodiversity Special train on Monday. The innovative train will showcase the exceptional biodiversity of the country.
It will cover 57 locations across the country in the next 194 days.
The idea of this unique train is to create awareness amongst masses in general and youth in particular about the rich biodiversity of the country that is home to 8% of the world’s biodiversity
The train will be halted at many towns/cities including Kurukshetra, ludhiana, Ramnagar (J&K), Tarn Taran, Meerut Cant, Shahjahanpur, Unnao, Nasik and Gandhidham besides other locations in different States. Its journey will conclude at Gandhinagar in Gujarat in February next year.
The present run of the train is the third phase of the Biodiversity Special Science Express. The train has 16 coaches in this phase. Eight coaches are solely dedicated to showcasing the diverse biodiversity spread across all the bio-geographical zones of India.
A variety of interactive exhibits, short films and videos that are shown on Plasma and lED TV screens, large format displays, kiosks and backlit panels, are being shown.
The remaining coaches have exhibits on climate change, energy ,water conservation and other topical issues.
After flagging off the from Safdarjung Railway station in the capital, Javadekar said an advertising campaign showing exact dates and locations would soon be launched to sensitize and educate the masses on the nuances of the rich biodiversity of the country.
“It is a journey of learning, spreading the message of biodiversity conservation and telling people that even in these modern times, we still have to depend on biodiversity”, said the minister. It is expected to benefit 30 lakh students, he said.
Since its launch in 2012, the Science Express Biodiversity Special train has covered 114 stations and travelled across more than 37,000km during the first two phases.