Punjab Government has set September 30 as deadline to plant 550 saplings in every village. The saplings are to be planted under the government’s ambitious programme dedicated to the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary celebrations.
As a part of the programme, 550 saplings each in 1913 villages have already been planted, while the process for planting the same in another 4345 villages is underway, said the state Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot.
He said that while the Department of Forest had been entrusted with the responsibility of planting saplings under the NREGA Scheme, the maintenance and care of all these saplings would be the ensured by Rural Development and Panchayats Department.
Under the Punjab Maintenance Model, ‘Van Mittars’ would be identified and declared by Rural Development Department, said Dharamsot adding that they would be mandated to take care of the saplings.
“Two houses would be marked as Van Mittars who would be entrusted to take care of every 200 saplings, and each family would be given Rs 1,920 each as maintenance charge for these saplings,” he said.
Reiterating that preservation of these saplings would be ensured for next five years, Dharamsot said that this would entail total expenditure of Rs 49,276 per annum.