Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Energy Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo flagged off a Ratha for promotion of the roof top gardening in the city today at Krushi Bhavan. It is funded under State Plan Scheme – Innovative Projects for Promotion of Urban Horticulture being implemented by Central Horticultural Experiment Station (ICAR-IIHR), Bhubaneswar. The Campaign Vehicle will operate across various urban zones of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for over a month-long awareness drive, reaching out to residential communities, educational institutions, Resident Welfare Associations, other city-based organizations and general public. The objective is to sensitize urban citizens on the importance, techniques and benefits of rooftop and home gardening and urban horticulture, in alignment with the state’s vision for sustainable urban living and food security. The Campaign vehicle is equipped with audio-visual educational materials in Odia and English, demonstration of innovative and technical exhibits, distribution technical pamphlets, and arrangements for organising interaction points for city citizens to discuss and seek expert advice. The campaign vehicle will follow a pre-planned route covering major localities in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and later to other major cities of Odisha. This campaign will promote rooftop and home gardening, future community engagement events, expert talks, and encourage the city gardeners to participate in annual rooftop gardening competitions in near future. The Department encourages all citizens, institutions, and community groups to participate actively and contribute to greener cities across Odisha. Director Agriculture & Food Production Subham Saxena, Additional Secretary Shubhranshu Mishra and other senior officers were present at the launching event.
Deputy CM launches campaign vehicle for promotion of rooftop gardening and urban horticulture
