NEW DELHI: If you happen to be on the President of India ’s guest list for the next function he hosts at the Rashtrapati Bhavan , hang on to that monogrammed paper invite you received. You can plant it and watch it bloom into a marigold.

In continuation of the many green initiatives undertaken since President Ram Nath Kovind assumed office, the Rashtrapati Bhavan has decided to switch to using seed paper, a type of handmade paper that has seeds embedded in it, and which can germinate if planted under a thin layer of soil and watered, adequately. The first batch of seed paper invites has been readied and the next event that President Kovind hosts, sources said, will be sent out on this format.

In order to accomplish this green mission, to begin with Rashtrapati Bhavan commissioned an external agency to recycle nearly 1,700 kilos of waste paper and convert it into seed paper.

After a toss up between embedding tomato or marigold seeds, the Rashtrapati Bhavan chose marigold seeds. In addition to producing seed paper from waste, the recycling project is also exploring the options of producing pencils, pen stands and stationary.

