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Time of India
14-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Target to plant 5 cr saplings in current fiscal: CM
Patna: CM Nitish Kumar on Monday inaugurated the state-level 'Van Mahotsav-2025', organised by the department of environment, forest and climate change (DoEFCC) by planting a mango sapling at his official residence on 1, Anne Marg premises. On this occasion, the CM appealed to people to contribute to this campaign by planting saplings on their premises and surroundings. "A target has been set to plant 5 crore saplings in the financial year 2025-26 and full preparations for this plantation campaign have been completed. Over the next three months, large-scale sapling plantations will be conducted throughout the state," he said. "The initiative involves saplings planting by the DoEFCC, rural development department, Jeevika groups, horticulture department, various organisations, departments, non-governmental organisations, and various social clubs," a communique issued by the chief minister's office (CMO) said. With the forward-thinking vision of the CM and the goal of increasing green cover, the state govt launched 'Hariyali Mission' in 2012, leading to large-scale sapling plantation across the state in mission mode. "As a result, the state's green cover reached 15.05%. The target is to increase the green cover to 17% by 2028," the CMO said. Initiated by Nitish, the "Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Abhiyan" began in 2019 across the state. "This campaign aims to raise public awareness about tree planting, water conservation, and environmental protection, encouraging their participation in sapling planting and increasing farmers' income through agroforestry. Additionally, fruit-bearing plants are being provided free of charge to the women of self-help groups and residents of villages near forests," the CMO said. Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, water resources and parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, DoEFCC minister Sunil Kumar and senior officials were present on the occasion.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Sonbhadra tops among dists with over 1.5cr saplings
Lucknow: Sonbhadra emerged as the frontrunner among the 75 districts with plantation of over 1.58 crore saplings. It was followed by Jhansi (99.51 lakh), Lakhimpur Kheri (96.75 lakh), Jalaun (95.66 lakh) and Mirzapur. Among govt departments, the department of environment, forest and climate change led the initiative with 14.05 crore saplings planted. The rural development department followed closely, securing second place with over 13.12 crore saplings. The agriculture department (4.15 crore), the horticulture department (1.55 crore), and the panchayati raj department (1.16 crore) claimed the third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively. In terms of species, Sheesham led the plantation drive with 4.45 crore saplings, followed by Teak (4.32 crore), Jamun (1.84 crore), Arjun (1.61 crore), and Guava (1.53 crore). Alongside these, medicinal and fruit-bearing plants, such as mango, guava, jamun, drumstick, and neem, were also extensively planted.
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Twin tunnel under SGNP gets forest ministry nod
Mumbai: The union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has given its final nod for a 4.7-kilometre twin tunnel under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) as part of the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR). The ministry has directed the SGNP authorities to hand over 19.43 hectares of reserve forest land required for the tunnels to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation 'SGNP being a protected forest in the city, the approval is a major milestone and the final one,' Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (projects), told Hindustan Times. The final approval was granted by the forest ministry on Tuesday. Earlier, in January 2024, the ministry had granted in principle approval for the twin tunnel project. The ministry has directed the SGNP authorities to hand over 19.43 hectares of reserve forest land required for the tunnels to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The land will be transferred in accordance with section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, which restricts de-reservation of forest land for non-forest purposes without approval from the central government. The legal status of the land parcel that will be transferred to the BMC will remain as 'forest', said Bangar. 'The SGNP authorities gave the land on condition that afforestation would be carried out on an equal amount of land in non-forest areas,' he said. Accordingly, the BMC will undertake compensatory afforestation on 19.5 hectares of non-forest land, including 14.95 hectares in Vasanvihira village and 4.55 hectares in Gondmohadi village, both in Chandrapur district. The 12-kilometre-long GMLR, which will connect the eastern and western suburbs of the city, will begin at Dindoshi court as an elevated flyover and descend near the gate of the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (film city) into a shallow, 1.22-kilometre box tunnel with three lanes till the boundary of SGNP. The 4.7-km twin tunnel, being constructed at a cost of ₹ 6,580-crore, will begin at the western edge of the national park and end at the eastern edge in Bhandup. Civic officials said a shaft was being created on the western end of the tunnel, which would be 60-120 metres deep and hold the tunnel boring machine (TBM). 'TBMs imported from China have reached ports in the city,' said an official. The machine will take at least a year to complete the tunneling, following which a shaft will be sunk on the eastern end.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Haryana aims to rejuvenate 37k hectares of its Aravali region
Gurgaon: Haryana unveiled a comprehensive forest landscape restoration (FLR) initiative on Tuesday to mark World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. The four Aravali states participated in a workshop in Jodhpur to unveil this plan, which aimed to restore the degraded Aravalis. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This multi-faceted plan by Haryana aims to rejuvenate 37,017 hectares of its Aravali region, where 69.5% of the degraded area is classified as forest land, followed by 13.2% scrubland and 17.3% degraded agriculture land, according to the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC). The core strategy involves the systematic uprooting of invasive species like Prosopis juliflora, followed by the mixed plantation of indigenous Aravali species. The initiative aims for the plantation of 1,000 plants per hectare, with three plants per trench. Plus, seeding in patches of Aravali species will be done in equal numbers, and bamboos will be planted in areas with good soil depth where continuous contour trenching is feasible. The restoration process includes "scattered pit plantation" or "contour trench plantation" on hilly terrains, and the model is based on natural processes, and rainwater will be conserved in situ with indigenous Aravalli and arid region species comprising 25% of the total plants. "The restoration efforts will be meticulously aligned with existing schemes from multiple ministries, operating under a convergent governance model. This will involve oversight by district collectors and coordination through inter-departmental committees, ensuring a holistic and integrated approach. We will be developing strategies for five Aravalis districts for year-long plans. The plan was discussed in Jodhpur today where the nodal officer for Haryana showcased the plan," Haryana's principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Vineet Kumar Garg, told TOI. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Joint forest management committees (JFMCs), self-help groups (SHGs), and watershed committees will be a part of the plan with participatory rural appraisals (PRA), detailed mapping exercises, and micro-watershed delineation. Among the state's Aravali districts, Gurgaon has been worst affected by the environmental crisis, accounting for 13,935 hectares (78.6%) of degraded land, 2,322 hectares (13.1%) of scrub, and 1,464 hectares (8.3%) of degraded agricultural land.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Uttar Pradesh launches clean air plan to reduce pollution
Lucknow: The department of environment, forest and climate change (DOEFCC) on Monday launched the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Plan (UCAP), India's first state-level clean air strategy grounded in scientific analysis and an airshed-based approach. The plan was released by principal secretary Anil Kumar at an event held in Lucknow on Monday. It was attended by senior state officials and representatives from the World Bank. The UCAP is a first-of-its-kind plan in India, developed through scientific modelling and data from Uttar Pradesh's own emissions inventory. It provides a 10-year roadmap to reduce PM2.5 levels by targeting key sources such as household emissions from cooking with solid fuels, transport, industries, and agriculture. Moving beyond city-level plans, UCAP introduces an airshed management approach, recognising that air pollution often travels between urban and rural areas. A key pillar supporting the implementation of UCAP is the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Project (UPCAMP), expected to be financed by a USD 320 loan from the World Bank. UPCAMP focuses on strengthening airshed institutional mechanisms for long-term planning, expanding air quality monitoring networks, and piloting innovative clean air measures like tunnel kiln technology, state-of-the-art supersites, and AI-enabled Decision Support System (DSS) to track pollution trends, among others. With the launch of the UP State Clean Air Plan, Uttar Pradesh is leading the way in science-based, multi-sectoral clean air action and setting a strong precedent for other Indian states to follow, said an official.
