As many as 500 students and their parents at a painting competition took oath on Thursday to conserve electricity.
The competition, titled Save Energy, was held at the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Auditorium. Students from 18 schools and colleges participated.
The event was organised by the USAID Power Distribution Programme (PDP) and the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO).
The participating institutions included the White Rose School System, the Divisional Public School and College, the KBI School System, the Punjab Medical College, the Allied School System, the Beaconhouse School System, Koh-i-Noor Grammar School, City School System and The Educators.
The participants presented 650 paintings on: Save Energy for Industrial and Agricultural Development for a Prosperous Pakistan, Making Pakistan a Self Reliant Country, and Measures for Saving Energy.
The event was presided over by Fesco Chief Executive Officer Rana Abdul Jabbar Khan and Saleem Arif, the deputy chief of party from USAID Power Distribution Programme.
Khan said that the youth had a challenge to put Pakistan on the road to progress and prosperity. He said the energy crisis was looming large and that efforts needed to be made to save energy to cater to the needs of industries, agriculture and commerce.
He said Pakistan was blessed with vast resources, but they had not been explored.
He said such educational events would create awareness among children to save energy. He stressed the need for taking the Save Energy campaign to schools across the country.
Arif said that a huge amount of money was required to generate just one megawatt electricity.
He said that electrical appliances must be switched off instead of being kept on stand-by.
The participating students and their parents later took an oath to save energy and create awareness about it among friends and families.
The event was divided into four categories- from ages 8 to 10 years; 11 to 33; 13 to 16; and 17 to 18.
In the first group, Wajiha Sheikh of Allied School, Alfalah Campus, won. Remsha Aamir of White Rose School System came first in the second category. Akasha Nisar won in the third category, and Shaina Aslam of Shiblee College in the fourth category.
The event concluded with a magic show.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.