The whole world may be talking of green thinking and green action now but the ancestors of the people of Uttarakhand had incorporated such actions ages ago in the culture of the State. Chief Minister Harish Rawat said this after planting saplings to mark the traditional festival of Harela in Dehradun on Thursday.
To mark the occasion, the CM planted saplings near the Kishanpur bridge on the banks of the Rispana River and at the Government Girls’ inter-college on Rajpur Road. He then attended a Jhumelo programme organised by social organisation Dhaad at the CM’s residence. Speaking on the occasion Rawat said, “Our ancestors had a futuristic thinking in starting traditional practices like Jhumelo and Harela to appreciate nature.”
“We have tried to take this tradition forward by linking Harela with Mera Pedh Mera Dham (MPMD) scheme to take up environmental conservation as a cultural campaign. The people have participated enthusiastically in the Government initiative with citizens across the State planting trees. This is the biggest public campaign for tree plantation in which the government is acting only as the facilitator. This campaign is not limited to just the plantation of trees but also includes the economical and health aspects. Through MPMD scheme we are paying a bonus to the people for planting those trees which are linked to their livelihood.”
“We are laying stress on the plantation of fodder and fruit trees. Rural areas will develop only if agriculture and animal husbandry are developed. There are two prominent problems in rural areas. The first is iron and iodine deficiency in women and the second is the lack of fodder for cattle. We need to grow guava and gooseberry trees in our garden to tackle the iron deficiency apart from plantation of fodder species,” he said.
The CM said that if people eat Mandua (finger millet) roti, Jhangora Kheer and Gahat pulse at least once a week, it will not only improve their health but also help tackle poverty in the mountains. He said that if any Uttarakhand resident gets a building constructed for a school, Anganwadi or health centre, the State Government is ready to give up to 15 per cent interest on a 30 year agreement. This work can also be done through capitalists but the State Government wants to connect the people of the mountainous areas with the mountains.