294 newborns in Pilibhit gifted teak saplings for future financial security

Time of India

a day ago

Pilibhit: The Forest and Wildlife Division of Pilibhit, in collaboration with the District Health Department, gifted teak saplings to 294 newborns during the ongoing Van Mahotsav, an annual afforestation campaign held in the first week of July.
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Each sapling was handed over to the newborn's mother along with a 'Green Gold Certificate' under a flagship scheme of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath aimed at ensuring the child's future financial security.
As per the scheme, each child will have legal ownership of the tree and will be entitled to fell it upon maturity — about 20 years later — to fund key expenses such as higher education, said Divisional forest officer (DFO) Bharat Kumar DK on Monday.
"The child will be able to use the timber value to support essential future needs," he said.
Terming it the first such initiative in Pilibhit, chief medical officer Dr Alok Kumar said the scheme covered deliveries at govt facilities across the district, including the district women's hospital, 10 community health centres, and most of the 31 primary health centres staffed with nurses. The scheme ran from July 1 to the midnight of July 6.
"The Green Gold Certificate scheme is also expected to promote institutional births in government hospitals," Dr Kumar said. "It provides families a certified assurance of future financial support, in addition to the financial aid already given to mothers at the time of delivery."
"A fully grown teak tree is currently worth between Rs 75,000 and Rs 1 lakh, and this value is likely to rise significantly over the next two decades," said the DFO.
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He added that "the responsibility of planting and nurturing the saplings lies with the families, who must do so on their private property at their own cost."
He said that of the state's 37-crore plantation target, Pilibhit has been assigned 39.5 lakh saplings across 50 species — ranging from timber and medicinal plants to ornamental and fruit-bearing trees. The plantation drive, which involves 26 state departments, will continue till July 9.