Kerala’s EcoSense Scholarship
Prelims:
Environment & Governance
Mains:
GS Paper II: Government policies and
interventions, GS Paper III: Environmental pollution and degradation
Current
relevance:
Kerala’s
Student Green Brigade Scholarship – EcoSense, implemented under Swachh
Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0), is promoting students’ active
participation in scientific waste management and sustainable practices.
Highlights: 
1.
EcoSense
Scholarship – Framework & Coverage:
§
Student
Green Brigade Scholarship – EcoSense
is Kerala’s student-focused initiative promoting active participation in scientific
waste management.
§
It is led by
the Local Self Government Department, in collaboration with the General
Education Department, Government of Kerala.
§
The programme
aims to provide scholarships to 50,000 students, developing green
skills and environmental responsibility.
§
Each selected
student receives ₹1,500 and a certificate of recognition.
§
Selection &
Coverage:
i. 50 students are selected from each Grama Panchayat.
ii.75 students from each Municipality.
iii.100
students from each Corporation.
§
This year, 45,880
students across 986 Local Self Government Institutions are receiving
scholarships, while around five lakh students from nearly 9,000 schools
participated.
2.
EcoSense
under SBM-U 2.0:
§
EcoSense
reflects the broader approach of Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0),
which goes beyond infrastructure to emphasise people's participation and
behavioural change.
§
It promotes
practical understanding of waste segregation, waste reduction, reuse, composting,
resource conservation and sustainable living.
§
Students are
encouraged to understand waste management not merely as a classroom subject but
as an everyday environmental responsibility.
3.
Learning
through Practical Waste Management:
§
Students
undertake source-level segregation, conversion of biodegradable waste
into compost, creative reuse of discarded materials and organic farming.
§
Schools also
establish repair shops, swap shops and cleanliness clubs, while promoting the Green
Protocol, Green School and Clean School initiatives.
§
Visits to Material
Collection Facilities (MCFs) and Resource Recovery Facilities (RRFs)
help students understand the waste-management chain and the importance of segregation
at source for effective resource recovery.
4.
Students
as Community Participants:
§
Through household
visits, students take responsible waste-management practices beyond schools
into their families and neighbourhoods.
§
They are
encouraged to identify and report waste-management violations and develop
solutions to local waste-related challenges.
§
Green
Assemblies (Haritha Sabhas)
provide a platform for students to discuss environmental issues, exchange ideas
and explore collective solutions.
5.
Significance:
§
Behavioural
Change: Encourages sustainable
waste-management habits from an early age.
§
Green
Skills: Provides practical
exposure to scientific waste management and resource recovery.
§
Youth
Participation: Enables students to
become active participants in improving waste practices within their communities.
§
Local
Governance Linkage: Connects schools,
households and Local Self Government Institutions in waste-management action.
§
Sustainable
Communities: Combines
environmental education with practical action towards Swachhata, resource
conservation and responsible waste management.
Source: PIB
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2310134®=48&lang=1