Miao: Miao Diocese of Arunachal Pradesh state in the North-East India launched Mitthi Sona Hai (Earth is Gold) campaign to mark the World Environment Day at a small event held at Christ the Light Minor Seminary, Miao on 5 June 2021.
Aimed at making people self sufficient, the campaign is for encouraging people to cultivate and produce their own food, said Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao Diocese.
Celebrating the World Environment Day 2021 with the diocesan minor seminarians, the Salesian prelate said, “Mithhi Sona Hai. The Earth is gold and it has everything for everyone. We only need to till it and discover it.”
The campaign aims at making every parish in the diocese to produce its own vegetables and fruits.
Quoting the creation story of the Bible, the Bishop said, “God asks us to subdue the earth and not subjugate it. It calls for free and equal coexistence with the nature. We are to be friends to the mother earth and not its master.”
To implement the campaign in every Parish, Bishop has appointed Father Kanjirathamkunnel Peter, the administrator of the minor seminary. He and his team will organize workshops and awareness campaigns on Mithhi Sona Hai for different groups of the diocese to give them useful tips to put the earth to maximum use to become self sufficient.
Terming the campaign a great step forward, Father Peter said “Every parish and centre has huge plots of land lying waste. We need to discover the gold in it by tilling and planting our own foods”.
The launch of the campaign was responded by the youth groups of the parishes across the diocese. Nearly 150 youth from Injan village in Changlang district planted 700 fruit plants around the village.
“We are happy to be part of this great initiative of the diocese. We have planted fruit plants today and in the coming days we will make kitchen gardens around our houses”, said Junem Langching, a youth leader of the diocese.
Launched on Saturday, the Mithhi Sona Hai campaign will run for a year till next World Environment Day.