Odisha Launches Urban Gardening Awareness Drive with Mobile Campaign

Bhubaneswar: To boost urban greenery and sustainable lifestyles, Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo today flagged off a mobile campaign vehicle, dubbed the Green Ratha, from Krushi Bhavan. The initiative promotes rooftop and home gardening across Odisha's urban areas.

Under the Innovative Projects for Promotion of Urban Horticulture scheme, the campaign is supported by the Department of Agriculture and executed by the Central Horticultural Experiment Station (ICAR-IIHR), Bhubaneswar.

The Ratha will conduct a month-long awareness drive in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, later expanding to Sambalpur, Berhampur, and Jeypore. It will engage with local communities, educational institutions, and RWAs through audio-visual exhibits, expert talks, and informative materials.

Singh Deo emphasized the need to combat the urban heat island effect and declining green spaces by encouraging urban residents to adopt rooftop gardening for environmental, nutritional, and aesthetic benefits.