ISO environment certificate for estate

The President's Estate became the first urban habitat in the country to receive ISO 14001:2004 Certification for Environmental Management Systems (according to the standards set by ISO, the International Organisation for Standards) on Sunday.

The President's Estate became the first urban habitat in the country to receive ISO 14001:2004 Certification for Environmental Management Systems (according to the standards set by ISO, the International Organisation for Standards) on Sunday.

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Christy Fernandes, Secretary to the President, received the certificate from R.K. Sharma, Director of the Bureau Veritas Certification India.

The President's Estate has five women self-help groups (SHGs) carrying out complete waste recycling towards making the 330 acres campus an environment friendly habitat says Seema Kumari, wife of an employee at the President's Estate and a SHG member, "We churn out 400 kg of organic compost every third week. All this is bought by the President's office. It increases my family's income by almost Rs 1,500 per month."

The formation of SHGs was one of the steps taken under the "Roshini Project', brainchild of President Pratibha Patil, who had envisaged "putting people at the centre of such initiatives". It was the initiative's third anniversary on Sunday, it was started in 2008.

Apart from the five SHGs, the energy-saving measures at the estate include solar power-based street lights, use of renewable energy sources and recycling waste water.

Union Ministers S. Jaipal Reddy, Krishna Tirath, Selja Kumari and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were also present at Sunday's function.