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In an endeavor to highlight the multifaceted dimension of biodiversity, a special train named 'Science Express - Biodiversity Special' was flagged off from here on Tuesday on the occasion of World Environment Day. Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan, who flagged off this 16 coaches train along with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at the Safdarjang Railway Station here, said: " The idea of this train is a magnificent idea to go through the remotest, farthest, flung corners of the country, to take the magic of our biodiversity, of our science and to take the message of the rich cultural and bio-diverse heritage that we have to the far-flung corners of the country. " "This train will stop in over 100 locations, will travel for over two years and in every single place it will interact with school children, who are our primary inheritors of the future, whom we wish to acquaint with the rich biodiversity that we have inherited," she added. The train, which is the result of the joint collaboration of the Environment Ministry and the Department of Science and Technology, would travel to the farthest corners of the country for the next two years, covering over a million people and raising awareness. Impressed by the interiors of the train, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that the pictures were educative and would prove fruitful in raising awareness for the environment amongst students and adults alike. "This train has been beautifully made, some very appealing pictures have been placed inside the train explaining the science, ecology and the need to preserve the environment have been depicted inside the coaches of this train. The children, adults and even women who will see this train will be fed with the knowledge and they will know how to preserve the environment," said Dikshit. Between June 5 and December 22, the train will travel almost 18,000 km, halting for 3-4 days at each of the 52 locations. It is expected that the train will be visited by a wide range of people, especially school and college students, directly engaging more than 15 lakh visitors and engaging over 50 lakhs people indirectly. Platform and outreach activities are being planned at each halt and will actively engage Ministry's National Environment Awareness Programme (NEAC) and National Green Corps (NGC). The train's eight coaches devoted to showcase the biodiversity of the country include exhibits on bio-culture heritage, biodiversity-livelihoods linkages, and the also domestic biodiversity. The train also has four other coaches dedicated to climate change, biodiversity & water and energy conservation, supported by other agencies, like HSBC, PCRA and the Swiss Embassy and Nestle. One coach is dedicated to the Joy of Science Lab which throws open the door of scientific experimentation to students specially school children. The exquisiteness of the train is the collaborative effort between multiple stakeholders, including government ministries, scientific organizations, the civil society organizations and the corporate in bringing together the significance of biodiversity in our lives. The World Environment Day is celebrated every year, to not only create awareness but also to reaffirm our commitment to protect and safeguard the environment for us and our future generations. It's a call for a positive environmental action to save our planet from further degradation.

Science Express flagged off from Delhi on World Environment Day