State Chief Secretary Minnie Mathews today flagged off the Prakrithi Mitra Biodiversity Express, a special van designed to reach all hostels in the universities around Hyderabad, where organising UN COP 11 on Biodiversity in October this year. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Secretary said, ‘Folk media could reach messages relating to Biodiversity effectively especially since it is in local language containing local message and local form. Andhra Pradesh has rich folk traditions and great variety of plant, animal and insect biodiversity along with lot of endemic medicinal plants., she said. The National Green Corps campaign for Biodiversity being organized in the context of UN COP11 has an important component of Veedi Bhagotham for Rayalseema, Burrakatha for Coastal India and Palle Suddulu for Telangana, which are the popular folk cultural forms of each of these regions. The mobile exhibition has the depiction of the State Animal: Black Buck, National Animal: Tiger, National Heritage Animal: Elephant, National Bird: Peacock, State Bird: Blue Jay, National River: Ganga, National Mountains: Himalayas, National Aquatic Animal: Dolphins, National Flower: Red Lotus, State Flower: White Lotus, National Fruit: Mangoes, National Tree: Banyan Tree and State Tree: Neem. It is expected to raise interest in public about the great national wealth of Indian Biodiversity. Special Chief Secretary (Environment and Forests) M Samuel, Special Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forests (Government of India) MA Farooqui and other officials were also present. UNI
