Centre to increase forest cover up to 30 per cent by 2012

Jaipur, May 22 (UNI) The Environment and Forest Ministry has set a target to increase forest and green tree cover area in the country from present 23 per cent to 30 per cent by 2012, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Namo Narian Meena said.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Meena said the government had launched an ambitious Green India Programme under which afforestation and plantation campaign had been undertaken on six million hectare of degraded forest areas.

He said North Eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh did have fairly good forest and/or green tree covered areas up to 71 per cent whereas it was much less in states like Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana.

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