Reiterating SAD-BJP Government’s resolve to make Punjab a ‘Green State’, the State Forest and Wildlife Minister Chunni lal Bhagat on Monday said that the State has taken a path breaking initiative in the form of ‘Greener Punjab Mission’ that will focus on increasing green cover to 15 per cent.
“The State under this Mission has set the target of plantation of 4.75 lakh saplings each year throughout the State for next eight years continuously,” he said.
Bhagat stated that in the current financial year, the department has earmarked an area of about 20,000 hectare in which 4.75 lakhs saplings will be planted with an investment of Rs122.42 crore.
He said that nurseries will also be set up for cloned plants of Popular and in this regard the area shall be extended up to 300 hectare.
Minister, while elaborating, said that during the current financial year, “the department has given a facelift to the forest beats falling within in the state so as to bring maximum area under their cover”.
“The department has surveyed 9,000 villages of the state to explore the possibility concerning free land holdings belonging to other departments and also village panchyats, so that this Mission could be given further impetus,” he said.
The Minister said that to protect the various areas in the State falling under green cover, the State has also recruited adequate number of forest guards.
“During recent past, the department has been instrumental in planting 1.32 crore saplings,” he said while elaborating that the saplings are produced in the 252 nurseries of the State.
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