The three Ministries of Environment, Railways and Science & Technology on Thursday flagged off the “Science Express Climate Action Special Train”. This 16-coach special train will travel across the country, covering about 19,500 kms, initially for about eight months, halting at 64 locations in about 20 States to spread awareness on the effects of climate change.
The train was inaugurated by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan, along with the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.
“The exhibition will convey a strong message about climate change and will also be a good opportunity to generate a dialogue and discussion on the impact of climate change and the possible strategies on mitigation and adaptation for enhancing sustainability of India’s development path,” Prakash Javadekar said.
The exhibition is open to general public. However, students and teachers are the primary focus of the programme. Schoolstudents can participate in the Joy of Science (JOS) lab in small batches of up to 20 students by prior registration. Visitors will also be encouraged to participate in various programmes initiated by the Government.
The Science Express has been travelling across India since the past six years since it was flagged off in 2007. The exhibition train has since covered over 1,00,000 km across the country, receiving more than 1.09 crore visitors at its 335 halts, in 1205 exhibition days.