Students to get up close with wildlife at Bhimgad

Belagavi: As many as 600 students of the district will be taken on a study tour to Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary this month. The state government's 'Chinnara Vanadarshana' programme from this academic year aims at giving children practical knowledge on conservation and the environment. In the first phase of the project, students of class IX in government high schools will be taken on a two-day trip to reserves and national parks in their area.
They will visit the zonal forest office to learn how to grow saplings in nurseries, the importance of medicinal plants, of soil and water preservation, of animals and birds in the wild, among other things.
There will be live demonstrations in the sanctuaries too. Essay, elocution and drawing competition about the forest too will be held. After the tour, students will write about their experience as projects. The students of Belagavi and Bagalkot districts will be taken to Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary in Khanapur taluk.
The state government has earmarked Rs 2 crore for implementation of the scheme this year. Each camp will have 50 students from 20 schools. This year 600 students in 12 camps from the district will benefit from this camp, said Basavaraj Patil, deputy conservator of forest.