Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: A nine-year-old with a green thumb is the Manipur government’s new ambassador for its green mission.

On Saturday, Elangbam Valentina Devi found that two saplings that she planted near her house in the state’s Kakching district, which had grown into beautiful trees, were lopped off to widen a road. She cried inconsolably.

When Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh saw the little girl crying in a video, he promptly made her the ambassador for the Chief Minister’s green mission.

However, the Class V girl is not happy about the two trees felled. Locals say she now has a ray of hope after she was assured of a series of plantation drives by the state government.

“I saw her crying inconsolably in a video posted on Facebook as two trees that she had planted were felled,” Singh told this newspaper from New Delhi on Thursday.

“When she was in Class 1, she had planted the two gulmohar saplings. They almost matured. On that day, when she returned from school, she saw the trees being uprooted. It was then that she broke down in tears,” he said.

The CM said after watching the video, he instructed Kakching Superintendent of Police Victoria Yengkhom to visit the girl’s house to console her and give some saplings to her. The SP had visited the house with a team of police officials.

“On July 18, we had launched the Chief Minister’s Green Manipur Mission. Suddenly, it came to my mind that this child should be made the green ambassador,” the CM said.

He said he would meet the girl after returning to Manipur.

Official sources said Valentina Devi had been made the green ambassador for the Chief Minister’s Green Manipur Mission for one year in recognition of her immense love and exemplary affection for the trees and in order to generate mass awareness on conservation of environment. A government order in this regard was issued on Wednesday.

“She will be involved in various government-sponsored plantation programmes including ceremonial plantations, VIP involved plantations, World Environment Day and Van-Mahotsava. She will be also part of all such advertisements/campaigns which promote increase in green cover in Manipur,” the order stated.