Vikrant Shekhawat : Jul 20, 2024, 09:00 AM
Uttar Pradesh News: All efforts are being made by the state government to increase the green cover in UP. In this sequence, about 36.46 crore saplings will be planted across the state today on Saturday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will start it by planting saplings in the capital Lucknow. An official said on Friday that Chief Minister Yogi will plant saplings on Saturday in the Akbarnagar area of the capital Lucknow, which has been cleared of unauthorized encroachments, with the aim of reviving the Kukrail river. Along with this, CM Yogi will launch 'Ped Lagao, Ped Bachao Jan Abhiyan-2024'. At the same time, strong arrangements will be made to ensure that the plants remain safe and 'geo tagging' of the planting sites will also be done. PM Modi had called for thisCM Yogi said in a statement, "The people of the state will come forward to face the challenge of environment by becoming a part of this sacred campaign of plantation mega campaign along with Van Mahotsav." For this public campaign which is being started on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam', the Chief Minister had recently appealed to the people to plant 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam'. He says that people should also join the campaign to save the environment. The Chief Minister said, "All the people of the state should become a part of this campaign and plant a tree in the name of their mother."168 crore plants planted in seven yearsAccording to officials, more than 168 crore plants have been planted in the state in the last seven years. According to the report of Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI), greenery has increased on 1.98 lakh acres of land in Uttar Pradesh. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Agra, Adarsh Kumar said that "Around 36.5 crore saplings are to be planted across the state. In the same sequence, Agra district has got the target of planting 54 lakh saplings. In this, 15 lakh are to be planted by the Forest Department, the rest by our 25 associate departments." According to officials, the state government wants to increase the total green area of the state from 9.23 percent in 2021-22 to 15 percent by 2026-27. To do this, 175 crore saplings will have to be planted and taken care of till they become trees.The campaign will be run in two phasesPrincipal Chief Conservator of Forests Sunil Chaudhary said, "This campaign is very important and we are dividing it into two phases. In the first phase, we will plant saplings. Then, our second campaign will start from October 1 in which we will monitor and take care of them." The Chief Minister has also asked to connect 2.62 crore farmers receiving PM Samman Nidhi with the campaign of planting saplings. Also, fruit-bearing and shady trees will be planted along the highways and expressways. Trees will also be planted in the areas situated on the banks of Ganga, Yamuna, Hindon and other rivers. Private organizations, religious-social institutions will also be associated with this campaign. Greenery will also be increased in the areas under PM Awas Yojana.