GUWAHATI: ‘Forest Man of India’ Jadav Payeng has signed an agreement with a Mexican NGO for collaborative work on environment during the Ciudad de las Ideas (CDI) at Puebla City in Mexico, official sources informed on Wednesday.
The agreement was signed with Fundación Azteca during the Ciudad de las Ideas (CDI) at Puebla City with former Mexican Senator Ninfa Salinas Sada of Grupo Salinas, in the presence of CDI founder and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Social Change and the Free Flow of Knowledge, Andrés Roemer, and environmental activist from Assam, Rituraj Phukan.
CDI is an “International Festival of Brilliant Minds”, a celebration of creativity and curiosity, an international festival that takes place in Puebla, Mexico.
Speakers including top scientists to opinion leaders take part in the unique event which also has a cultural segment that includes short films, artistic interventions and music.
Honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in 2015, Payeng from Majuli in Upper Assam, had single-handedly transformed a barren sandbar of the Brahmaputra into a 550 hectare forest by planting trees.
The Embassy of Mexico in India stated that the South American country was honoured to host “extraordinary environmental activist from India, Jadav Payeng, in CDI. He planted the entire forest – 40 million trees – with own hands”.
“An alliance with Fundacion Azteca would lead to advance new tree planting in Mexico,” it posted on its official Twitter handle.
Founded in 1997 and owned by Grupo Salinas, Fundacion Azteca promotes social responsibility.
“Padmashree Jadav Payeng was the last speaker among a galaxy of inspirational change makers from around the world. His simple message to prioritise nature within the educational system was much appreciated,” a Facebook post of Rituraj Phukan, who had accompanied Payeng at the festival, said.
