In order to achieve the target to increase state’s forest green cover, the Punjab government on Thursday decided to involve government employees for sapling plantations.
Disclosing this on Thursday, the Punjab Forest minister, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot said that the Forest Department would soon send a written communication to all the departmental heads with regard to sapling plantation by the government employees.
Dharamsot also said that the Forest Department would provide saplings to around 2.5 lakh government employees serving in the different departments in Chandigarh and Mohali.
He also said that the campaign of sapling plantation by the government employees would be commenced from Chandigarh and Mohali and afterwards taken to the other districts in a phased manner. He exhorted the government employees to plant at least one sapling each at their homes, parks, villages, cities or any other suitable space.
Exhorting the youth to connect with the ‘Ghar Ghar Hariyali’ (greenery in every household) campaign, the minister said that they must contact their district forest officials during their leisure time and plant more and more saplings besides ensuring their proper maintenance.
“The government employees of the state would also undertake plantation of saplings to ensure the all round success of ‘Mission Tandarust (healthy) Punjab’ which aims for the clean environment as well as robust health of the people of Punjab,” said Dharamsot.
The minister further said that according to a survey, a tree gives on average 260 pound oxygen in a year and a shady tree can give oxygen for a lifetime to 2 people.