“The state has planned to plant 30-crore saplings on Saturday and another 5 crore on August 15,” said forests minister Arun Kumar Saxena, during a press conference, on Thursday.
The minister said that of the 12.72 crore saplings planted by the forest department in 2022 under the annual plantation drive, 90% have survived while over 85% of the 22.77 crore saplings planted by 26 other departments have survived, a third-party assessment has found.
“We are going for a third party evaluation for survival of the planted saplings this year too. This year, we wish each sapling which is planted be saved and develop into a tree,” he said.
“In the past five years, we have planted 131 crore saplings during our annual plantation drives,” said Mamata Sanjeev Dubey, principal chief conservator of forests. Senior officials SK Sharma, Sanjay Srivastava shared statistics on plantation in the press conference.
Offices in the state have been directed to give half day leave to employees to participate in plantation drive. Over 90% of the saplings to be planted have been shifted from nurseries to plantation sites.
In the state, 1,901 nurseries have prepared 54 crore saplings. Different types of forests including Gram Van, Ayush Van, Nandan Van, will also come up as part of plantation while heritage trees will also be preserved.
Minister for animal husbandry Dharampal Singh has directed officials to conduct plantations in cow sheds. Danish Azad, the minister of state for Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj has directed officials to conduct plantation drive at all madrasas in the state.
{{/usCountry}}Minister for animal husbandry Dharampal Singh has directed officials to conduct plantations in cow sheds. Danish Azad, the minister of state for Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj has directed officials to conduct plantation drive at all madrasas in the state.
{{/usCountry}}MGNREGA workers can earn from plantation
Forest minister said that under special initiative registered workers with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) can earn up to ₹58,000 in three years if they plant and protect saplings. “If the worker plants 200 plants they can get up to ₹58000 in a period of three years for maintenance and protection of plants,” said the minister.