Chief Minister Raman Singh has commenced his dream target of greening Chhattisgarh with massive and successful tree plantation drives to be taken up by the various Government departments as well as corporates operating in the State.
The State Government, under the ‘Hariyar Chhattisgarh Abhiyan’ (Green Chhattisgarh Campaign), has now set department-wise target of planting 15.60 crore saplings in two years. Of this, 7.58 crore saplings will be planted during the current monsoon season and 8.02 crore next year.In accordance with the allotted target, the Government departments have started preparations.Chief Minister Raman Singh has asked all the officers to work seriously for the achievement of the assigned target.
Forest Department officers said here on Wednesday informed that the Department would plant 4.75 croresaplings of different species in 2014, whereas, the Forest Development Corporation would plant 97 lakh saplings, Revenue department and Panchayat and Rural Development department would jointly plant 1.55 crore saplings, Urban Administration department 1.50 lakh, Mining Resource Department, 35,000 and PWD would plant 1 lakh saplings.
Similarly, the Tribal Welfare Department will plant 75,000 saplings, Water Resources Department 20,000, Higher Education Department 50,000, Home Department 25,000, School Education Department 5 lakh, Commerce and Industries and Silk Keeping Department 50,000, Health and Ayurveda Department 1
lakh, Woman and Child Development Department 3 lakh, Food Department 1 lakh, Energy Department 35,000, Housing and Environment 12 lakh,Agriculture 2.50 lakh, Public Health and Rural Engineering Services Department 5,000 and National Highway, Cooperatives and other departments will jointly plant 1,05,000 saplings.
As per the allotted target, in the year 2015, the Forest department will plant 5 crore saplings of different species and the Forest Development Corporation will plant 1 crore saplings, whereas, other departments will jointly plant the remaining 2.02 crore saplings.Chief Minister Raman Singh while chairing a meeting of Forest Department officials and the representatives of various industrial organisations at the Mantralaya on June 17 this year had expressed annoyance over the industrial organisations not completing their target for planting saplings given last year while stating that now they would not have the freedom to plant saplings on their own.
Now, the industrial organisations would have to deposit the amount prescribed by the State Government to the State Forest Development Corporation for planting of saplings. This apart, the Chief Secretary himself would now hold meetings every three months and review its progress, he added. Singh had stated said that industrial organisations have the social responsibility of making the environment pollution free.The Chief Minister has asked senior officers of Forest Department to take the ‘Green Chhattisgarh Campaign’ seriously and to ensure better care of saplings to be planted under the campaign.
He said that any kind of carelessness at any level would not be tolerated. Singh stressed on making the State greener for creating a healthy environment. The objective of ‘Hariher Chhattisgarh Abhiyan’ should be to create jobs and a permanent source of income for people.