Nagpur: State forest minister
Sudhir Mungantiwar has announced new plans to increase the forest cover of the state. The government aims to plant around 13 million trees from July 1 to 31. For supervision and monitoring, a committee comprising government departments and non-governmental organizations, under the chairmanship of the district collector, has been set up.
“People are invited to join the campaign. In Nagpur district, 2 crore trees will be planted this year,” Mungantiwar said at a press conference on Wednesday.
In order to involve every citizen in its initiative, the state forest department has started the ‘Hello Forest’ initiative. By dialling toll free number 1926, any citizen can enquire about various programmes being organized for the protection of forests or any other information they need.
In order to maximize participation and to provide employment, the state government has said that the
plantation will be undertaken on forest land by the social forestry department under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
When asked about the loss of trees while building roads, the minister said, “The development of roads is necessary and so is the protection of trees. The ministry is taking efforts to ensure infrastructure as well as forest growth,” said Mungantiwar.
According to the minister, the ideal forest cover of a state should be 33%. “However, Maharashtra stands at 20% only. Educational institutions of the state are also being taken into confidence for preservation and promotion of tree plantation,” said Mungantiwar.
(Reporting by Samruddhi Chiplunkar)
