CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Today, The Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) the premier central institution at Bhopal is all set to onboard 200 students for its flagship MBA programmes in Forestry Management and Sustainability Management for the new academic session 2024-26. This cohort of budding green managers represents 22 regions (States and Union Territories) of the country with a diverse background in Engineering, Science, Commerce and Arts and very balanced gender equity with 40% of female students.

To mark this special day, all students of the new batch will be joined by the IIFM fraternity in a plantation drive to mark their green footprint under the campaign “#EK Ped Maa Ke Naam”# Plant4Motherof India’s Mission LiFE initiative.

This onboarding will be followed by a two-weekorientation programme involving interaction with leaders from diverse sectors in the Environment, Climate Change, Sustainability, Development, Corporate, Business, Banking and non-Banking financial, and Consulting sectors. This will provide an opportunity to the students to know about the sectors and orient them to the emerging professional avenues and help them in their academic pursuit at IIFM for the next two years.

Furthermore, the future green managers will be exposed to the rich biodiversity and natural heritage of Madhya Pradesh through field visits to Pachmari Biosphere Reserve and Bhimbetka. The students will also be exposed to the developmental sector through a visit to PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action), an NGO dedicated to empowering marginalized communities by helping them develop their skills and initiatives in the developmental sector.