Green Foundation wins Rotary Service Award

The organisation works with disadvantaged groups of small and marginal farmers, backward castes, tribals and dalits, especially women, in the semi-arid regions of South India, for the conservation of agro biodiversity and the promotion of sustainable agriculture.

The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited Joint Managing Director K N Tilak Kumar gave away the award at a function organised by the Rotary Club of Bangalore. The annual awards are given by the Club to voluntary organisations working for environmental conservation.

The Green Foundation was started as a modest effort by five women farmers in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu in 1996. The activities of the NGO have now spread across five districts of Karnataka. The jury for the awards comprised eminent members from various fields including NGOs like Bangalore Cares.
 
“The award has been instituted to recognise organisations which render yeomen service in their specific fields. The selection was based on three key factors -inspiration, innovation and impact,” said Chairman of Bangalore Cares Murray Culshaw, said.  He pointed out that several of the 1.2 million NGOs in the country were not registered. They should come in the limelight as the civic society should also know about their activities, he said. 

Executive Director of the Foundation, C S P Patil said while the green revolution provided food security to the nation, it destroyed the biodiversity and led to environmental pollution.

Phiroze Bharda, a  Rotary Club member described NGOs as parallel governments sans political implications.