DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh announced that under the 'Van Mitra' Scheme, the recruitment of 'Van Mitra' will soon be conducted. These 'Van Mitra' will be given honorarium to take care of the plants. He directed the officers to regularly map the existing plants and those planted annually under the plantation campaign using drones. If there is delay in extinguishing the fire on forest land, then accountability will be fixed from forest guards to senior officers, he added.

The Chief Minister was presiding over a review meeting of the Forest and Wildlife Department in Chandigarh today. On this occasion, he also released a brochure for the 'Pran Vayu Devta Scheme'. The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Environment, Forests, and Wildlife, Sh. Sanjay Singh.

Presiding over the meeting, the Chief Minister stated that illegal cutting of trees from the forest areas will not be tolerated, and if any employee is found to be complicit, action will be taken against them. He reviewed in detail the annual plantation drive conducted by the Forest Department during the monsoon season and directed that these plants be geo-tagged and their growth should be monitored for five years with the help of drones.

Expressing concern over forest fire incidents, Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh stated that such incidents not only kill wildlife but also cause damage worth crores of rupees in wood and contribute to pollution. He said that if there is unnecessary delay in responding to a fire incident, officers from forest guards to district-level officers will be held accountable.

He directed the officers to ensure arrangements for supplying water from canals or tube wells to national parks like Kalesar, Sultanpur, and other dense forests so that this water can be used by wildlife during extreme heat and to aid in extinguishing fires.

The Chief Minister was informed that a budget of Rs. 150 crore has been allocated for the plantation drive for the year 2024-25, while Rs. 10 crore will be spent on herbal parks. The Chief Minister was also informed that under the "Pran Vayu Devta" scheme, the state government plans to provide an annual pension of Rs. 2,750 to those who take care of trees over 75 years old. So far, 3,819 such trees have been identified under this scheme.

Also present on the occasion were the Additional Chief Secretary of the Environment, Forest, and Wildlife Department, Sh. Anand Mohan Sharan, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Dr. Amit Agrawal and Chief Minister's Political Advisor, Sh. Bharat Bhushan Bharti, along with other senior officers from the department.


(editor@dailyworld.in)