Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday (July 6) said that under the proposed plantation initiative, this year around one crore saplings having commercial value would be planted on a single day across Assam. “Though SHG members, Anganwadi workers and helpers, ASHA workers, police including VDPs and battalions, tea gardens, educational institutions and government offices have been identified as target groups, DCs should encourage the voluntary participation of people, NGOs, public and religious institutions in the drive to turn the exercise into a mass movement to plant one crore saplings having commercial value would be planted on a single day across Assam,” said CM Sarma.
Also Read: Union Minister Bhupender Yadav Launches Mangrove Drive Under PM’s ‘MISHTI’ Programme
Following the same CM also held a meeting with the Deputy Commissioners to discuss the plan of action for implementation of three ambitious initiatives of the state government at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati.
These initiatives are plantation of one crore saplings across Assam to boost commercial wood production and environment protection, Khel Maharan and Sanskritik Mahasangram for creating an inclusive environment for identifying talents in the field of sports and culture.
He said,
The focus of this drive should not only be on plantation alone but more on ownership as this would boost commercial wood production and increase green cover in the long run. As part of the initiative, a portal has been developed for registration of people who are willing to join the drive.
After plantation, geo-tagged photos will be required to upload and an incentive of Rs 100 for plantation and Rs 200, if the tree survives, will be provided. Plantation can be done on own farmland and at institutions as well.
The Environment and Forest Department has already identified 175-180 stocking hubs for the storage and distribution of saplings.
The Chief Minister further said “Khel Maharan” and “Sanskritik Mahasangram” will be organised from the grassroots level to promote sports and cultural environment and find out talents. Under Khel Maharan, sports competitions will be held in 5 disciplines, i.e. athletics, kabaddi, kho-kho, football and volleyball from October this year to January next.
These competitions will be conducted starting from the revenue village level to gaon panchayat, further to the district and finally at the state level. In the case of BTC, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, the competitions will be held at VCDC or MAC level instead of gaon panchayat.
CM further said,
The Sanskritik Mahasangram will be a unique showcase of the state’s cultural talents. Under this, every revenue village will organize competitions in six categories.
These are Jyoti Sangeet, Rabha Sangeet, Bhupendra Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet, Bihu and tribal dance. The winners of these competitions in the revenue villages will compete amongst themselves at the panchayat and district levels, which will culminate in a competition at the state level.
He urged the DCs to put all-out efforts to make the initiatives successful.
Also Read: Jharkhand To Plant 2.5 Crore Saplings This Monsoon Season: Principal Chief Conservator Of Forests
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
