Ped Lagao-Ped Bachao Jan Abhiyan will be celebrated as a grand festival on July 20 : CM Yogi.

Lucknow : On Tuesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed the ‘Ped Lagao-Ped Bachao Jan Abhiyan-2024’ initiative.

He noted that the state government has effectively advanced the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. This year, Uttar Pradesh has been tasked with planting over 36.46 crore trees for the campaign. 

The Chief Minister instructed all relevant departments to meet this target by July 20 through mutual coordination. He emphasized the importance of setting specific goals for each department and district to ensure the success of the statewide plantation mega campaign. 

During the meeting, he also provided guidelines to state ministers and heads of various departments.

The Chief Minister stated that Uttar Pradesh has abundant natural resources and divine favor. The plantation campaign has evolved into a mass movement, with over 168 crore saplings planted in the last six years. The breakdown of saplings planted includes 5.72 crores in 2017-18, 11.77 crores in 2018-19, 22.60 crores in 2019-20, 25.87 crores in 2020-21, 30.53 crores in 2021-22, 35.49 crores in 2022-23, and 36.16 crores in 2023-24.

According to the State of Forest report released by Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, the green cover in Uttar Pradesh has increased by 1.98 lakh acres. On July 20, more than 36.46 crore saplings will be planted across the state. 

The Chief Minister urged all ministers to be present in their respective districts and participate in the plantation drive alongside local public representatives and the general public. He emphasized that nodal officers should play an active role in ensuring the success of this program.

The availability of plants is crucial for the success of the plantation campaign. The Department of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has prepared 54.20 crore plants. Alongside planting these, robust measures should be implemented for their protection, and plantation sites should be geo-tagged.

During the program, the Honorable Chief Minister announced the Summer Census of Cranes-2024, revealing that 19,918 cranes were recorded this year, compared to 19,522 in 2023 and 19,188 in 2022 in Uttar Pradesh. He also unveiled the ‘Ped Lagao-Ped Bachao Jan Abhiyan-2024 logo and released the tree plantation flip book.

The Chief Minister highlighted that, with extensive public cooperation, the state’s total green area is continuously increasing. The state government aims to expand the total green area from 9.23 per cent in 2021-22 to 15 per cent by 2026-27. To achieve this goal, 175 crore saplings will need to be planted and protected.

The Chief Minister emphasized that the state government is actively pursuing ‘carbon finance’ to boost farmers’ incomes by providing incentives. Efforts will be made to ensure that information about carbon finance reaches as many farmers as possible.

He instructed departments lacking sufficient land to collaborate with others and prioritize plantation efforts.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister directed ministers and nodal officers to participate actively in the public plantation campaign, encouraging the exploration of innovative approaches.

He also proposed distributing drumstick plants to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana beneficiaries and planting them in Anganwadi centers. Drumstick plants are highly effective in combating malnutrition.

The Chief Minister emphasized connecting the 2.62 crore beneficiaries of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi with the plantation Jan Abhiyan. He also highlighted the need to strategically plant fruit-shade trees in places like Amrit Sarovar, riverbanks, vacant lands, highways, expressways, and mandi samiti. Intensive plantation efforts are to be focused on the coastal areas of Ganga, Yamuna, Hindon, and other rivers. 

Furthermore, he stressed the importance of planting trees and ensuring their protection, including the installation of tree guards. This year’s plantations should proceed as planned, with initiatives such as Bal Van, Amrit Van, Nagar Van, Yuva Van, Shakti Van, Mitra Van, Virasat Vatika, and Nakshatra Vatika proving highly beneficial in enhancing green cover.

Regarding plantation sites, the Chief Minister proposed utilizing forest lands, gram panchayat and community lands, expressways, four-lane roads, canals, lands of development authorities, medical and educational institutions, and private premises. He encouraged citizen participation in this endeavor and urged private sectors, NGOs, and religious-social organizations to join hands with the campaign.