Punjab government has chalked out an ambitious plan worth Rs1900 crore for the implementation of the “Greening Punjab Mission” with the target to increase the forest area from seven to 15 per cent in next seven years across the state.
Under this ambitious mission, 40 crore saplings are to be planted on various places across the state.
“Under the Greening Punjab Mission, 40 crore saplings would be planted in all available vacant government, institutional and farm lands in the state. Chief Minister had launched this Mission last year which aims to enhance the forest and tree cover from the existing seven to 15 per cent of the geographical area of the State,” said Forest and Wildlife Preservation Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani.
He said that the National Forest Policy envisages 33 per cent of the country’s area under forest or tree cover for safeguarding the environment and ecology of the nation. “Punjab being a predominantly agricultural State has less than seven per cent of its area under forest or tree cover, resulting in severe environmental and ecological degradation and also leads to rapidly rising pollution levels in the air, water and soil of the State,” he added.
The Minister further said that a unique feature of the ‘Greening Punjab Mission’ is that the Forest Department which was earlier only responsible for protection and raising plantations in government forest areas is now significantly extending its activities to cover all non-forest lands in the State.
“The forest beats in the State have been re-organized and all villages in the State are also included in the sphere of responsibilities of the respective Beat Forest Guards. Detailed surveys for the identification of vacant land for plantation in all villages have also been completed by the Forest Department with the consultation of village Panchayats,” he added.
Jayani informed that to ensure the implementation of Green Mission at the bottom level successfully, 431 Forest Guards have also been freshly appointed and trained by the Forest Department.