Port Blair, April 24: The Department of Fisheries organized a painting competition on the occasion of World Earth Day at the Fisheries Museum -cum- Aquarium on April 22, 2023. The students did painting inside the Fisheries Museum -cum- Aquarium where they were surrounded by live marine fishes. The students enjoyed painting inside the aquarium as they were also painting on themes related to fishes and their surroundings.

The competition was conducted for the school students of Class I to VIII. The aim of this initiative was to create awareness among the students to protect our planet, environment, and resources and to adopt a sustainable way of living. The Director of Fisheries, Shri Vikram Singh briefed the students about the importance of the day and also encouraged everyone to commit to environmental protection and be a part of the global movement dedicated to saving the planet.

The special painting drive was organized for fisherman’s children wherein 46 such children participated. Around 366 enthusiastic students from different Schools of South Andaman District also participated in the event. The event was conducted in two categories - junior category and senior category. The theme for the junior category was ‘Fish around me’ and for the senior category ‘Life Underwater’.

The students from various schools expressed their creativity through their diverse drawings and paintings based on the themes. The children of the fisherman community who actively participated in this competition, stood out with their innovative ideas on the themes with respect to their day to day life. The best 5 paintings of each category were selected by a Jury of experts and the winners were given certificates and prizes.