Rs 10 crore plan to undertake plantation in Punjab

Chandigarh, Jun 16 (UNI) The Punjab Government has conceived a Rs 10 crore plan to undertake massive plantation under various forestry projects in the state.

Disclosing this here today, Forest and Wildlife Minister Tikhshan Sood said the Forest Department had chalked out a programme to plant 98 lakh saplings in the state this year.

Under the Farm Forestry Scheme, 40 lakh plants would be supplied to the public at subsidized rates for plantation in the state, he said.

In order to increase tree cover outside traditional forest areas, he said 100 hectares of land would be covered under the scheme of plantations on non-forest institutional Lands. As many as 20 lakh plants would be provided free of cost to Army, Para Military forces, educational institutions, NGO's etc. for this purpose, he added.

The Minister said the State Government had introduced another project namely the Punjab Forestry and Watershed Development Project in order to increase the density and productivity of existing forest areas and added a provision of Rs 1 crore had been made for the plantation of 200 hectares of forest land under this scheme.

In addition to this, an area of 3500 hectares would be brought under plantation through forest development agencies and village forest committees at a cost of about Rs 7 crore under the Centrally sponsored scheme of National Afforestation Programme, during the 11th Five Year Plan, said Mr Sood.

UNI