New Delhi: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav launched the Ideas4LiFE portal on July 29, 2024, for inviting ideas related to products and services that induce behavioural changes towards environment-friendly lifestyles. The event took place at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in the presence of Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh. Yadav called upon the fraternity of students, research scholars, faculty, and innovators to come up with innovative and out-of-the-box ideas, which will work towards fulfilling the vision of the Prime Minister for mindful and deliberate utilisation of resources.

Interacting with participants and students at the launch event of Ideas4LiFE, Yadav said this initiative aims to encourage and motivate students, faculty, and research scholars to contribute their innovative ideas to the global initiative of Mission LiFE. He said this is a remarkable opportunity for inspired minds to participate in a global movement dedicated to environmental sustainability.

Highlighting the importance of Mission LiFE, Yadav said that all sorts of basic things we get from nature are in their purest form but in return, our output is impure. He said this is the time to introspect, save nature, and help sustain it for future generations. Nature provides us with food, oil, energy, and medicine for our living. When nature gives us everything that is needed for survival, it is also our responsibility to save it, he added.

Yadav said there is a need for this initiative and it is a collective responsibility to make it a success. Mindful and deliberate use of all resources will help us to save nature, he added.

The portal ‘Ideas4Life.nic.in’ will allow participants to submit their ideas and innovations online. The winning ideas under each of the seven themes of Mission LiFE will be recognised and awarded attractive prizes for individuals as well as for institutions.

On this occasion, Yadav also planted a sapling at the IIT Delhi campus under a nationwide call by the Prime Minister’s ‘EkPedMaaKeNaam’ or ‘Plant4Mother’ movement, which was started this year on World Environment Day, June 5.

UGC, AICTE, IITs, and Educational Institutions across the country would be instrumental in spreading the call for Ideas4LiFE Ideathon across the students, researchers, and academic fraternity, and contributing innovative citizen-centric ideas and technologies related to adopting an environment-friendly lifestyle. The Ideas4LiFE Ideathon covers seven themes of Mission LiFE: Save Water, Save Energy, Reduce Waste, Reduce E-Waste, Say No to Single-Use Plastics, Adopt Sustainable Food Systems, and Adopt Healthy Lifestyles.

UNICEF has been an active partner in the implementation of Mission LiFE. MoEFCC, in collaboration with UNICEF YuWaah, has developed a comprehensive Ideas4LiFE portal for the submission of innovative ideas, its management, and further processing of entries.

The launch event was attended by Secretary (EF&CC), Leena Nandan, Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education, T G Sitharam, and Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Rangan Banerjee, among other senior dignitaries from Government and Academic Institutions. The event saw vibrant participation of more than 1,000 students, research scholars, and academic faculty from various educational institutions. /BI