Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, on Saturday, launched a programme to plant more trees outside forest area.

The USAID Foundation is collaborating in this programme.  Under the scheme, special focus will be on planting trees outside the forest areas.

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Launching the programme at Radhakrishna Auditorium of Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, the CM said during the crisis of corona pandemic, everyone get to know about the importance of oxygen. He said Oxygen plants were intalled to meet the requirement of oxygen in hospitals. All countries have been working and looking forward to maintain ecological balance.

Khattar said awareness should be made to adopt forest conservation methods besides tree plantation. “We all should nurture trees as we take care of our family,” he said. He said Haryana is a small state in the country and has only 3.5 per cent forest area.  “If we talk about trees outside the forest area, then that too is only 3.2 per cent.  Overall, about 6.7 per cent of the forest area can be considered and under this program, a target has been set to develop 20 percent forest area in the state,” the CM said.

He said there is a need to increase awareness in educational institutions regarding the conservation of trees and plants. Khattar said every year crores of saplings are planted by the Forest Department in the state.  But if their condition is checked after a few months, then only about 5 per cent of the plants are able to grow into trees.

“Therefore, there is a requirement to pay attention towards nurturing trees. We all have to understand that climate change cannot be controlled by being limited to planting more trees.  After planting a tree, we should also protect it. Only then, human beings would be able to get its complete benefit,” the CM said.

He said in order to promote environmental protection on behalf of the government, the state environmental protection award is also given in the name of Dr Darshanlal Jain, a well-known environmental conservationist under which an amount of Rs Three lakh rupees is given.