Kerala’s EcoSense Scholarships: Empowering 46000 Students to Champion Waste Management

Kerala’s EcoSense initiative, implemented under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 through a collaboration between the Local Self Government Department and the General Education Department, aims to empower students as champions of waste management. The programme targets 50,000 students across Grama Panchayats, Municipalities, and Corporations, awarding selected students from specific classes a scholarship of ₹1,500 and a certificate. For the current year, 45,880 students across 986 Local Self Government Institutions received the scholarship, backed by participation from around five lakh students in nearly 9,000 schools. The initiative focuses on practical activities including source-level segregation, composting, visiting Material Collection Facilities and Resource Recovery Facilities, and organizing Green Assemblies.