(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena says the pledge to protect the environment should not be limited only to election platforms and the leaders who come to power should act on the promise of protecting the environment.
Addressing the Environmental Pilots Presidential Medal Ceremony held at the President’s House yesterday(10), the President stressed the responsibility of all to protect the environment.
“It is our primary duty and responsibility as human beings to protect the forests, to plant trees and to be sensitive to the environment as well as to love and feed the trees, streams, animals, and the earth,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of training children from an early age to protect their environment, trees and animals.
President Sirisena said that as an environmentally sensitive leader he had done a significant role in protecting the environment for the past five years and for the first time in history directed the armed forces to protect the environment.
The National Environmental Pioneer Program is being implemented in the local school system by the Central Environment Authority with the full support of the Ministry of Education with the objective to endow the beautiful environment heritage of the motherland with the future generation and integrate the future citizens of Sri Lanka in the society as environmentalists.
Forty environmental pilots were presented with the presidential medal at the ceremony today.
Professor Devaka Weerakoon, Acting Dean of the Department of Nursing, University of Colombo, delivered a special lecture on the importance of environmental education in environmental conservation.
The commemorative book compiled to mark the 2019 Environment Pilot Presidential Medal Ceremony was presented to the President.
State Minister Ajith Mannapperuma, Secretary to the President Udaya R. Seneviratne, Central Environmental Authority Chairman Isura Devapriya and Central Environmental Authority Director General Hemantha Jayasinghe were also present.
