For the 11-member Bishnupriya SHG of Bogorijeng village of Pulibor in Golaghat, the month of August became too important. Having tasted joy and success during the Amrit Brikshya Andolan last year, they were determined to improve upon their experience in ABA 2.0. The two saplings that they had then as an experience have been growing right before their eyes. This year, the members of this SHG were targeting six saplings each. After receiving their saplings, consisting of Big-leaf–Mahogany, Chittagong wood(Bogipoma), Michelia baillonii(Titasopa), from the Jeevika Sakhis, they were waiting for the D-Day to arrive when they would be planting them and uploading their beaming faces on the dedicated Government portal.
The day arrived on August 13. Moromi Konwar, a member of this SHG, after planting the saplings uploaded the photos on the portal. “Our entire village participated in the process. This will usher in a Green Assam. It is our duty and responsibility,” Konwar told Asom Barta over phone.
It is for the likes of Bishnupriya SHGs, the likes of Moromi and her village that the State was able to achieve the 3-cr target of saplings set by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma while announcing the launching of ABA 2.0 in the month of July.
The Government had entrusted each District Commissioner as Chairman of a district-level committee to ensure the success of ABA 2.0. In each district, a 12-member committee was formed consisting of all senior officers posted in the district. Educational institutions, SHGs, police, and other Government departments were brought into the ambit to ensure the success of the movement.
Of the 39 lakh members of SHGs in the State, each was entrusted with the responsibility of planting six saplings individually, while members of voluntary organisations and those connected with educational institutions were asked to plant two saplings each.
State Mission Director of Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission, Masanda Magdelin Pertin while talking to this reporter spoke about the plan that went into the success of ABA. “We roped in SHGs to achieve the goal of ABA and the Central Government’s unique initiative of planting a sapling in the name of one’s mother. We coordinated with the Forest Department to distribute these saplings in the first week or so to these SHGs. They played a crucial role,” she said. She also attributed the success of ABA 2.0 to District Project Managers (DPMs) and the Government of Assam undertaking Amtron for their role in registration and upload of selfies or photos. “Each day, we sent district-level data to ensure that we were always within the range of our target.”
Sadhana Bhagawati Goswami, a member of the Shyamrai SHG in Nalbari claimed that her district has recorded the highest planting of saplings in Assam. “It is a matter of pride. We took our saplings from the panchayat offices. Besides our SHGs, the members of gaon panchayats of nearby villages also took part in the initiative. Despite floods in the district, we managed what we wanted to. Each one of us put in a lot of individual effort,” she told this newsletter.
SHGs under ASRLM managed to overshoot their target of 2.13-plus crore saplings by planting over 2.52 crore saplings and uploading their photographs. Nalbari district topped the chart with the number of uploads standing at 15,77,099. Karimganj was a close second with over 15.27 lakh uploads. Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Dhubri, and Jorhat all had over a million uploads.
Against the target of 3 crore saplings, Government officials informed Asom Barta that as on August 25, over 3.19 crore photos were uploaded on the official portal under ABA 2.0.
