The World Environment Day(WED) was celebrated this year with the theme of “Air Pollution”, to promote clean air. On this WED 2019 seedlings were planted and an advertisement was also released encouraging all to plant a tree.
To a question asked by Ajay Misra Teni, Member of Parliament about the Union Govt’s efforts and aim for tree plantation for promotion of clean air Union Minister Prakash Javadekar reverted that Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has decided to make plantation a people’s movement through various programmes which will promote school nursery, urban forestry, planting trees on vacant lands, bunds on farm land etc. Tree Plantation/Afforestation activities are also taken up cross-sectorally by various Departments, NGOs, Civil Society, Corporate bodies etc. under various Central and State Plan/Non Plan Schemes.State/Union Territory Governments also take up tree plantation activities on special occasions and celebrations including World Environment Day, Van Mahotsav etc.
Afforestation/Tree plantation targets in the country in respect of Area Covered under Public and Forest Lands and number of Seedlings Planted under Twenty Point Programme (TPP) is fixed by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF& CC) annually for States/UTs. The target of plantation for the year 2019-20 is 1.87 million ha and the details of State/UT wise targets are given in list below.
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The Ministry has issued guidelines for including bamboo and medicinal plants in afforestation activities on degraded forest land and contiguous areas. Advisories have also been issued to State /UT Governments to plant local and indigenous species during plantations. TheNational Afforestation Programme (NAP) of MoEF&CC has the provision for inclusion of medicinal plants under various plantation models. Apart from NAP the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) of MoEF&CC also permits plantation of mixed indigenous species by the implementing states.
Besides, as per the information received from National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH, NMPB presently, is implementing a “Central Sector Scheme on Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants” throughout the country under which support is provided for in-situ /ex-situ conservation and resource augmentation of various species of medicinal plants. In addition, NMPB, Ministry of AYUSH is also implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) under which there is a component on “Medicinal Plants” which primarily aims at supporting cultivation of medicinal plants on farmer’s land.
