Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated the 76th State-Level Van-Mahotsav at the Kanlog area in Shimla. He also planted a deodar sapling during the event. The Chief Minister launched the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojna across all Assembly constituencies and virtually interacted with Ministers and MLAs participating in the programme and discussed forest conservation and afforestation measures in detail.
Addressing the gathering on this occasion, he said that Van Mahotsav highlights the importance of forests, often called the Earth's lifeline. This year, around nine thousand hectares of forest land would be planted with trees under different schemes and 60 percent of these saplings would bear fruits.
He said that the state government was working to protect and enrich rich biodiversity of the state. These efforts would contribute to achieve the target of increasing 30 percent forest cover by 2030. The Chief Minister said that the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojna would not only promote forest development but also enhance public participation and strengthen the rural economy.
Under this scheme, mahila mandals, yuvak mandals, self-help groups and joint forest committees would plant and look after saplings on one to five hectares of designated forest land for five years. A budget provision of Rs. 100 crore has been made for this purpose. This year, saplings were being planted across 1,000 to 1,500 hectares of forest land at a cost of Rs. 20 crore.
An additional Rs. 1.2 lakh per hectare was being provided for sapling maintenance, said the Chief Minister. He said that the state government was also focusing on financial discipline for Vyavastha Parivartan and introducing various reforms in the working of the Forest department.
The officers were being encouraged to dedicate more time to fieldwork related to forest expansion and conservation rather than office routines. The Chief Minister further said that the government was implementing schemes that provide rural communities with self-employment opportunities near their homes, thereby strengthening their livelihoods.
He said that the initiatives of the present state government in natural farming were also being recognized and appreciated nationally. He also gave cheques of rupees one lakh each to different mahila mandals for tree plantation under the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojna.
Apart from this cheques of Rs. 50,000 each have also been distributed under JICA project to the beneficiaries for livelihood. Additional Chief Secretary K.K. Pant and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjay Sood gave detailed information on various forest development activities.
MLAs Harish Janartha and Suresh Kumar, Mayor Surinder Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Uma Kaushal, Chief Minister’s Principal Advisor for Innovation, IT and Governance Gokul Butail, Advocate General Anup Kumar Rattan, local councillor Alok Singh Pathania and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.