The Subhiksha Keralam project aimed at attaining self-sufficiency in food production holds immense promise for environmental conservation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
In his message issued on the eve of World Environment Day on Thursday, Mr. Vijayan said that the mission launched to tackle the looming certainty of food shortage in the post-COVID-19 scenario is also bound to usher in an holistic approach to environmental management.
Besides launching farming in fallow land, the collaborative project is expected to boost animal husbandry, dairy farming and fish farming in the State. The government has earmarked ₹3,680 crore to be expended for various activities that will be undertaken across the State as part of the project next year.
According to the Chief Minister, the State will plant 1.09 crore saplings as part of observing World Environment Day this year. While 81 lakh saplings will be planted on Friday, the rest will be planted during the period from July 1 to 27. While the Forest and Agriculture Departments have played major roles by preparing the saplings, as many as 12 lakh were prepared under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Elaborating on the efforts undertaken by the Haritha Keralam Mission in ecological conservation, Mr. Vijayan said that the ongoing steps being spearheaded by the agency to develop ‘green islets’ under the Pachathuruthu scheme have got encouraging response.
The government’s greening programme that targets cultivation in fallow and unused land has been implemented in all wards of Kodumon grama panchayat in Pathanamthitta and Elikkulam grama panchayat in Kottayam. Thiruvananthapuram district is set to become the first Pachathuruthu district this month with all local self-government institutions undertaking the scheme.