Bhopal, May 23 (PTI) A unique initiative to restore lost biodiversity on 172 acres of barren land at the police training school (PTS) in the Gwalior district has been awarded on the occasion of the International Biodiversity Day.
The Madhya Pradesh State Biodiversity Board on Friday recognised the out-of-the-box thinking of IPS officer and Additional Director General (ADG) of Police Raja Babu Singh, who implemented the plan in 2025 while heading the police training establishment of the central Indian state.
The citation for the award stated that Singh led his team in planting 16,000 saplings of 100 varieties on about 40 acres of the PTS’s 172-acre campus at Tighra.
A ‘herbal garden’ comprising medicinal plants was also created on an acre of land at the facility, the citation said.
The PTS trains newly recruited police constables.
Singh, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, received the award in the individual category during an event held here to mark International Biodiversity Day, according to an official statement.
A senior biodiversity official said the award recognises special initiatives and contributions by individuals and organisations usually not associated with forests and climate change.
The rejuvenation plan included planting about 6,000-7,000 nitrogen-fixing and fruit-bearing plants, and sowing carbon-absorbing grass and bamboo groves. These plants help check soil erosion.
More than 800 police recruits (constable rank), environmentalists and forestry veterans participated in this biodiversity revival plan at the PTS, located more than 400 km north of the state capital Bhopal. PTI NES MNK ARU
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