🌍 The environment is changing rapidly due to human-driven factors like industrialization, deforestation, pollution, and climate change. Protecting it requires collective action—through sustainable living, renewable energy, conservation, and awareness.
✦ Changing Environment and Our Responsibility
Forest site images at Hojai
🌍 How the Environment is Changing ?
Rising global temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions.
Deforestation leading to biodiversity loss and soil erosion.
Air, water, and soil pollution affecting human health and ecosystems.
Urbanization and industrialization increasing waste and resource depletion.
Climate change impacts such as floods, droughts, and unpredictable weather patterns.
⚠️ Major Factors Responsible
Population growth and overconsumption of resources.
Industrial emissions and fossil fuel dependency.
Unsustainable agriculture and landfills.
Plastic pollution and poor waste management.
Unrestricted development damaging natural habitats.
🌿 What We Can Do to Protect the Environment
Adopt renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro) to reduce carbon footprint.
Plant trees and support afforestation projects.
Reduce, reuse, recycle to minimize waste.
Promote sustainable agriculture and organic farming.
Conserve water and energy in daily life.
Raise awareness through education and community initiatives.
Support eco-friendly policies and hold industries accountable.
Every day we speak about climate change and global warming, yet we continue to witness trees being cut in the name of development. I recently came across a site where several trees were being removed, and it raised an important question in my mind. Is destruction of green cover truly unavoidable, or are we ignoring better alternatives? As a citizen, this contradiction forces us to think more deeply.
Problem Explanation
The central concern is the growing trend of cutting trees for construction and expansion projects. While development is essential, the process often directly targets existing natural resources. This creates a conflict between infrastructural needs and environmental protection, making the issue complex and concerning.
Why This Matters
In a time when global warming, unpredictable climate patterns and rising temperatures are becoming everyday realities, the loss of trees further intensifies the crisis. The Government of India continuously promotes plantation drives and environmental awareness, yet on the ground, institutions sometimes move forward with tree-cutting. This contradiction weakens public confidence and creates confusion about our collective priorities.
Simple Analysis
The core of the problem lies not in development itself, but in the approach. Trees are cut because alternative designs or protective measures are often overlooked. Sustainable planning—like re-routing, vertical construction, transplantation, or integrating greenery within projects—can significantly reduce damage. When such options exist, choosing the easiest path—cutting trees—reflects a lack of environmental sensitivity rather than true development.
Solution
Real development should adopt eco-friendly planning, mandatory environmental audits, and responsible decision-making. Authorities can explore tree transplantation, redesign layouts, or integrate green zones instead of removing existing trees. Citizens, too, can question policies respectfully and raise awareness without creating controversy. This balanced approach can ensure both infrastructure and nature coexist.
Conclusion
Protecting trees is not an obstacle to development—rather, it is a foundation for sustainable progress. When alternatives exist, choosing them is not protest; it is responsibility. —
Reader Question ❓
Do you believe true development is possible without harming our environment?
Original image (Hojai)
Ashish Chakraborty MSW | MA (Double) Digital Content Creator | Author Voluntary Social Worker | Environmental Volunteer Traditional Astrologer & Palmistry Practitioner
That evening was painted in peace. As I returned from Srimanta Sankardev Nagar toward Hojai, I noticed an elderly man—perhaps in his late fifties—resting quietly under a sprawling banyan tree. Before him lay a vast paddy field, glowing gold under the evening sun. The air was still, carrying the earthy scent of freshly turned soil — a reminder that life begins here, in the hands of those who nurture the earth.
➤ I stopped my car and walked closer. “Kaka, how are you?” He smiled softly. “I’m fine, just watching my field. You?” I said gently, “Call me ‘tumi’, it feels warmer.” And so began a conversation—short in words, long in emotion.
✬ He pointed toward the field. “This is my land. I’ve tilled it myself this year, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to next year. My sons work in Bengaluru, my daughter is married away. They come sometimes, help a little, but I don’t know if they’ll ever take this soil in their hands again.”
His voice faded into the wind. For a while, neither of us spoke. I could only feel the weight of his question—
➔ “Will there be anyone left, who will still touch this soil with love?”
Those words echoed within me. Because beyond that question lies a truth we often overlook: the farmer’s hands are the roots of our civilization, and our future depends on the soil he protects.
In a world obsessed with progress, we forget that every breath we take, every meal we eat, begins with a farmer and the environment he preserves. When the earth suffers, we suffer too.
The real heroes are not always in uniforms or offices — sometimes, they stand barefoot in muddy fields, sowing hope grain by grain.
★ As individuals, we can honor them not just with words, but with actions:
Support local farmers and organic produce.
Avoid food waste — it disrespects the labor of those who grow it.
Plant trees, protect water, and choose sustainability in small ways.
Teach children that progress is not leaving the land, but loving it responsibly.
✬ Protecting the environment is not a choice — it’s gratitude in action. Because when we protect the farmer, we protect the earth… and when we protect the earth, we protect ourselves.
Do you believe the next generation will carry this love for the soil forward?
Ashish Chakraborty।। MSW ,MA(Double)।। Digital Content Writter ✒️।। Voluntary Social Worker ।। ✍
Social Audit is a participatory process that enables citizens to assess and evaluate government programs, policies, and laws. In India, it serves as a vital tool for ensuring transparency, accountability, and public participation in governance.
Image source Google
Global Origins of Social Audit
The concept of Social Audit originated in Sweden between 1985 and 1988. Researchers John Fry and Ulla Ressner conducted a comprehensive study of Sweden’s central bureaucracy—the National Labour Market Board (Arbetsförmedlingen). This study involved interviews and questionnaires with over 1,000 employees at various levels, aiming to assess the alignment between work experiences and the organization’s objectives. The findings were published in 1988 under the title “Social Revision av ett Ämbetsverk” and sparked significant debate in the Swedish Parliament .
Objectives of Social Audit
The primary objectives of Social Audit include:
Transparency and Accountability: Ensuring that organizations and governments are open about their activities and are held accountable for their actions.
Stakeholder Engagement: Involving community members and stakeholders in evaluating and improving organizational performance.
Ethical Standards: Assessing adherence to ethical practices and social responsibility.
Performance Improvement: Identifying areas for enhancement in organizational operations and services.
Social Impact Assessment: Evaluating the social and environmental impacts of organizational activities .
Social Audit in India
In India, the concept of Social Audit gained prominence with the enactment of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005, which mandated its implementation to monitor wage employment programs. Over time, its scope expanded to include various social sector schemes, promoting inclusive governance.
Institutional Framework and Public Participation
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has established guidelines and rules to facilitate Social Audits under MGNREGA. These include the formation of Social Audit Units (SAUs), capacity-building initiatives, and the development of audit manuals to standardize procedures. The active involvement of Gram Sabhas, where community members collectively assess project implementation, ensures that the voices of marginalized groups are heard, fostering inclusive development .
Challenges and Way Forward
Despite its successes, challenges such as low women participation and resistance from local officials persist. Addressing these issues requires continuous advocacy, capacity building, and strengthening of institutional mechanisms to uphold the integrity of Social Audits.
Conclusion
Social Audits in India have proven to be an effective mechanism for promoting transparency, accountability, and public participation in governance. By empowering communities to actively engage in the oversight of public programs, Social Audits contribute to the realization of inclusive and sustainable development
As someone deeply rooted in voluntary social service, I’ve come to believe that the most powerful principle in social work is simple yet transformative:
“Help the people to help themselves.”
My Faith (Image source:Self generate)
I first encountered this principle during my BSW/Master in Social Work studies (2010–2015), and while I may have forgotten much of the academic content, this one idea stayed with me. Over the years, I’ve seen how it works—not just in theory, but in the real world, especially in the grassroots context of Assam.
Why This Principle Matters ?
This principle shifts the focus from charity to empowerment. It doesn’t treat people as passive recipients of aid, but as active participants in their own progress. It respects their dignity, their potential, and their right to shape their future.
In my experience, when communities are given the tools, knowledge, and space to act, they respond with resilience and creativity. Whether it’s environmental awareness, poverty alleviation, or social education—solutions become sustainable only when people own them.
Practical Effectiveness in Grassroots Work
In Assam’s diverse regions, I’ve seen firsthand how this principle translates into action:
Awareness drives that help villagers understand their rights, health, and environment.
Community-led initiatives where local volunteers take charge of sanitation, education, or cultural preservation.
Information sharing that enables people to access government schemes without dependency.
Strategic guidance that helps youth and families solve problems without waiting for external aid.
Often, we assume funding is the key to impact. But I’ve found that strategy, awareness, education, and proper information can solve nearly 60% of social problems—without money. What’s needed is committed human energy, not just financial resources.
My Stand and Invitation
I humbly declare: If ever my voluntary social service becomes entangled with personal economic or political interests, I invite you to openly boycott me and hold me accountable. My commitment to this principle is firm. If I deviate, question me, stop me, and reject me.
Currently, I bear small costs personally, but I do not believe in dependency. I believe in self-dependency and people’s rights. That’s why we are moving forward—without any external fund, but with full faith in voluntary manpower.
We welcome anyone who shares this vision. Even 400 hours a year, from your own place, can make a meaningful contribution.
Let us build a movement where service is not about control, but about liberation. Let us help people help themselves—and in doing so, help society heal itself.
Ashish Blogger | Writer | Socio-Environmental Volunteer 