Adding a tint of green environment beauty to the crown of India, J&K pledges to plant 50 lac trees by 2020

Srinagar, July 5: Pitching on to create a green environment, the government has stepped in to form an environment friendly initiative. The initiative caters the people to plant trees and in a bid to achieve its target, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has decided to plant 50 lac trees by June 2020.

The State Administrative Council (SAC) which met here under the chairmanship of Governor, Satya Pal Malik approved the launch of Green Jammu and Kashmir drive which will commence from July 8, 2019. The massive plantation drive shall be organized by the Forest, Environment & Ecology Department by involving Panchayats, Civil Society, Educational and other institutions and other stakeholders to plant trees over degraded forest land, areas retrieved from encroachment, roadside areas etc.

In the 1st phase, the plantation activities will primarily be focussed in Jammu region where the plantation season has just started and 9 Lakh trees over 2300 Ha are targeted for plantation this Monsoon season.

Further, the Department has been asked to make all necessary arrangements for undertaking afforestation activities in various districts of Jammu province including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Nowshera, Billawar and parts of Rajouri, Reasi, Udhampur, Ramnagar and Ramban.

The department will also be distributing plants to the masses and to the interested people for afforestation through Forest Department outlets.

Similar drive shall be undertaken as part of Green J&K Initiative in the month of November-December in Kashmir region and winter zones of Jammu region and thereafter in March-April to achieve the target of 50 lakh trees by June, 2020.