School Nursery Yojana Implementation Guidelines AP & TS Schools

School Nursery Yojana Implementation Guidelines: The Government of India and identify interested Schools that have around 100 Sq.Mts of open green space for developing nursery and carry out green activities and have functioning Eco Clubs.

Further, it is also requested to submit the required proposals in the prescribed format (Annexure-1) to the undersigned by 2nd October 2015 through e-mail (dfo_sf_wgl@telangana.gov.in) as well as hard copy to submit the same higher authorities for taking further action.

School Nursery Yojana Implementation Guidelines:
The Guidelines for implementation of School Nursery Yojana are as under:

(i) Eligibility:

1. All students from class 6-9.
2. Schools should have around 100 sq. meter of open green space for developing nursery and carry out green activities.
3. The schools with functioning Eco Clubs will be given preference.
4. School Principals must agree for maintaining the nursery for at least 5 years.
5. The Schools should have provision/ create facilities of rainwater harvesting and use recycled/ treated waste water for irrigation.
6. The Scheme will gradually try to cover one school in each district, which will later act as Lead Schools and guide other schools in such activities.

(ii). Procedure:

1. The Schools will apply as per the prescribed format to the concerned Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF)/ Divisional Forest Officer (DFO).
2. Each School will commit for raising at least 1,000 saplings of suitable plant species.
3. The DFO will forward the proposal with his recommendations to State CAMPA for consideration.
4. State CAMPA will forward the consolidated proposal to CAMPA steering Committee for consideration and approval for making grant.
5. The schools selected under this scheme will create a model nursery and submit their annual report certified by the Principal alongwith relevant photographs on the activities carried out by them under the nursery scheme.
6. The State CAMPA will create an Online Interactive Web Portal for disseminating information on Nursery raising and place all the reports/ information received from schools.
7. A list of forest officials and experts will be maintained by the State CAMPA/ DFOs to whom the schools can contact for professional guidance.

(iii)  Activities under School Nursery Yojana:

1. All Students from Class 6-9 will be eligible for nursery works. The activity may be included as regular practical exercise for Biology classes and part of extra- curricular activities for other students.
2. The students will be taken to local excursion to nearby parks/gardens/ colony parks at appropriate time to observe phenological characteristics of trees and other plants and seasonal changes like- leaves, bark, branching patterns, flowering, colour of flowers & young leaves, fruits, seeds, flowering annuals, shrubs etc.
3. Identification of plants and trees.
4. Students should be encouraged to prepare herbarium, record their observations, collect fruits, seeds etc.
   5. Drying of seeds, making cuttings, grafting etc. for plant propagation
5. Preparation of potting mixture from soil, sand and manure or coco- peat.
6. Filling of polybags, earthen pots by potting mixture.
7. Sowing of seeds, maintenance of young saplings, watering, weeding, transplanting etc.
8. Planting of locally appropriate species will be preferred.
9. Recording of observations and carrying out tree census in school and neighbouring localities.
10. Students may also be encouraged to take the saplings at the time of passing out and plant at suitable place (school/ neighbourhood/ residential areas) and take care.
11. Prizes to good performers.

(v). Budgetary support:

1. The scheme is taken on Pilot basis for s year period.
2. A provision of Rs. 2.50 Crores in the first year will be provided from CAMPA for the purpose of School Nursery Yojana. Later on budgetary requirement will be assessed based on actual requirement of maintenance funds.
3. (Each School will receive initially a first time financial grant of Rs. 25,000/- for creation of Nursery with essential facilities/ infrastructure. These schools will receive a grant of Rs. 10,000/- in the next two years for continuation of programme and raising of next batch of 1,000 saplings. It is expected that schools will continue the programme on their own after 3rd Year.)
4. The grant will cover the initial expenditure on creation of nursery beds, watering arrangements, pipes, soil, manure, earthen pots, polybags and other necessary inputs.
5. SFDs will guide the schools and provide all technical support to schools selected under this scheme.
   7. The State wise project proposals shall be submitted by the State CAMPAs duly approved by the State CAMPA Steering Committee.
6. Tile projects will not be part of State CAMPA’s Annual Plan of Operation and funds for the scheme will be released by the NCAC from its corpus.
7. The funds so released by the NCAC will be deposited in the State CAMPA accounts maintained by the states. However separate account shall be maintained for the scheme
8. A Project Management Unit (PMU) will be set up in the Forest Policy Division, MoEF&CC for coordinating, monitoring and publicity of the Scheme. Tile expenditure on the aforementioned functions of PMU will be around 2°/o of the Annual Expenditure and the same will be met from NCAC.