Pursuing the dream of ‘Green Andhra Pradesh’, the State government has chalked out plans to plant 68 lakh saplings along the roads in a stretch of 17,000 km. As of now, the target is to plant 68 lakh saplings. It can be taken up to 1 crore, said Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy.
The Minister inaugurated a workshop on ‘Jagananna Pacha thoranam’ here on Tuesday. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the mass plantation drive would be taken up under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS).
Every year, plantation drive is taken up in a big way during the rainy season. But, the survival of the palnts has not been encouraging. The survival of the saplings is equally important, he said.
Plant protection
“As per the amendments made to the Panchayat Raj Act, 83% of the plants should be protected by sarpanches. Unlike in the past, the government will supply tree guards to protect the plants. Officials from top three districts which achieve the best results will be felicitated in the presence of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy,” said Mr. Ramachandra Reddy.
The job to protect the plants can be entrusted to unemployed youth. The government would pay ₹5 per plant. If they protect 400 plants, they could earn ₹2,000 a month. A campaign can be taken up involving the youth, he said.
Social Forest Head PCCF Chiranjeevi Choudhary, PR Commissioner Girija Shankar, Horticulture Commissioner Sridhar, Rural Development Commissioner Naveen, SERP CEO Raja Babu, NREGA Director China Tataiah and others were present on the occasion.
