A nine-year-old girl has been appointed as the brand ambassador for the Chief Minister’s Green Manipur Mission by the Manipur government, after a video went viral in which she can be seen crying profusely as trees that she had planted are being felled.
Elangbam Valentina Devi, a Class 5 student, was in class 1, when planted two Gulmohar (royal poinciana) trees by the side of a river.
Elangbam’s Trees
The saplings that the student of Amutombi Divine Life English School planted and looked after daily, grew into frees in the last four years.
On August 7, the trees were cut down for a road-widening project.
In a video, which went viral after her uncle shared it on Facebook, the girl can be seen inconsolably sobbing as the trees she that had planted are being cut down. It evoked a lot of support and appreciation for her from netizens.
I feel her pain😥! More power to you girl!! 🇮🇳🇮🇳✨🌞 #GreenManipur https://t.co/gMA4r1DMq9
— Meelogsin (@meelogsin) August 8, 2019
She is one in the millions and must be encouraged so the others can learn the good step, I see the first time on my entire life a small girl cry so badly when the JCB machine cut down the tree. Very emotional and proud for her https://t.co/2WjpAaVdkh
— Nongthombam chandrakumar (@chandra985678) August 8, 2019
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh responded too.
She cry for felling down of 2 trees which she planted when she was only in class 1.We rushed at her place and tried to console her providing more saplings. Now She will be the State government,s “Green Ambassador”for C M,s Green Manipur Mission “ let’s follow her, save nature pic.twitter.com/kGuFsDCPYf
— N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) August 7, 2019
On her request, 20 saplings provided by state forest department were planted along the road covering about two km.
Youth club in the girl’s locality also decided to plant around 1,000 saplings around the place as an acknowledgement to her love for trees.
According to the order, all official tree plantation activities that the state takes up are in recognition of Elangbam Valentina Devi’s exemplary love for trees. It is also meant to spread awareness on conservation of the environment for a period of one year, from the date when the order is issued.
Elangbam will be involved in several government-sponsored plantation programmes including ceremonial tree plantation, VIP plantations, World Environment Day and Van-Mahotsava and departmental sponsored plantations.
The department that will be sponsoring the awareness campaign will also provide her with an honorarium at government rates, transportation facilities, food and lodging facilities, The Indian Express reported.
The Chief Minister’s Green Manipur Mission was launched on June 22 with the aim of protecting the state’s forest areas, especially the villages.
