Cycle Yatra across North Bengal to celebrate and inspire Climate Action by SwitchON Foundation

KalimNews, Siliguri, December 27, 2023: To inspire and celebrate climate action, Move for Earth Cycle Yatra reached Siliguri today. Cyclists from Siliguri joined the cycle yatra from Baghajatin Park to Matigara to show their support.

Move for Earth is an initiative to address and offer solutions to community-specific issues related to water, soil, energy, and clean air that directly impact citizens’ livelihood and health. Through the Move For Earth cycle ride, we facilitate purposeful events and activities, engage key stakeholders, and advance urgent climate action.

The cycle ride team further met small tea growers in Patkata Colony, Jalpaiguri, and enlightened them about climate-smart agriculture practices applicable in the tea industry. This was followed by a meeting in Jalpaiguri with CISTA, where discussions centered around distributed renewable energy and technologies that benefit both the tea industry and small farmers.

In collaboration with CISTA, an insightful session on organic farming and climatesmart agriculture was organized for small tea garden workers at Rangdhamali Tea Garden, Patkata Colony. The interaction covered sustainable agriculture benefits, challenges, and technology adoption for increased productivity. Additionally, a Stakeholders Consultation on 'Promoting Renewable Energy Solutions for the Sustainable Future of North Bengal's Tea Garden Community' took place at Hotel Sky Star, Jalpaiguri. 

The event, also in partnership with CISTA, brought together dignitaries and stakeholders to explore renewable energy technologies, emphasizing green job prospects and sustainable livelihood practices for local communities, with a focus on solar power, biogas systems, improved cook stoves, solar water heaters, solar dryers, solar water pumps, solar power sprayers, and energyefficient lighting which could impact the lives of the small tea growers. The dignitaries present at the event were Mr. Amitanshu Chakraborty, ITPA Secretary, Mr. Jayanto Barik, ITPA Project Convenor, Mr. Sanjay Bagchi, DBITA Secretary and Mr. Bijoy Gopal CISTA President.

Mr Vinay Jaju, Co-Founder of SwitchON Foundation said “During the journey we connected with the farmers, women and youth of the areas and addressed the issues of sustainable agriculture, clean energy solutions and renewable energy.”

Amitangshu Chakraborty, ITPA Secretary,” Move for the Earth is a great way to connect our farmers and youth over the various climate solutions and encourage them to take action. The initiative is a great step toward mass awareness generation and It is an important step to highlight the urgency and need for action among masses.

Mr Bijoy Gopal, CISTA President said, “It is inspiring to see SwitchON Foundation take proactive steps towards sustainability and pressing environmental challenges that we face today like climate change, deforestation and much more. Your commitment towards reducing the environment footprint sets a positive example for others to follow. I applaud the efforts of SwitchON foundation to implement planet friendly practices, whether it's through promoting climate smart agriculture or advocating environment friendly practices. I wish them all the very best in this continual endeavour.”

The Move for Earth cycle yatra, which started on December 24, 2023, from Dalkhola culminated today in Jalpaiguri. The main motto of the ‘Move for Earth’ movement is to celebrate and inspire Climate Action with a purpose to build a smarter and brighter future for ourselves, our children, our farmers and life on earth. The whole movement would cover cycling over 864 km across different states in East India engaging Farmers, Youth, Government, Financiers, Technologists and Civil Society Organizations through its journey, and offer solutions to community-specific issues related to water, soil, energy and clean air, that are directly impacting the livelihood and health of citizens.