Women SHGs to be engaged for planting saplings along national highways: Keshav Prasad Maurya

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday pitched for a plantation drive to be carried out along national highways under National Rural Livelihood Mission, entailing employment for women Self Help Groups (SHGs).
In the first phase, a plan has been prepared to plant sapling along 202 km of National Highway in Varanasi and Gorakhpur. Maurya has said that this scheme will prove to be a boon for women empowerment through employment besides helping in environmental protection. Maurya holds the charge of rural development covering NRLM. The rural department will thus coordinate with the PWD to get the drive executed.
He said that this will help in replenishing the stock of trees which are cut to make way for highways. The government, as a matter of fact, has been pushing for women livelihood promotion under the `Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
According to the State Rural Livelihood Mission office, the women self-help groups will plant saplings and take care of the plants for 5 years. Women Self Help Groups At the time of plantation, care will be taken to maintain row to row and column to column distance of plants.
The Self-help groups will also be able to prepare plant nurseries according to the standards of the forest department. Women of Self Help Groups will be provided wages from MGNREGA in preparing nursery. This will become a separate means of livelihood for women. Apart from this, additional income can also be earned by women by selling fruits obtained from trees in the market and making organic compost of leaves.