The Yogi Adityanath government plans to plant 350 million saplings this year to expand Uttar Pradesh’s green areas with the collective support of all departments and divisions, and targets have been set for the same.
The goal is to increase the state’s green cover from 9 to 15 per cent by 2026-27 with public cooperation.
Specific targets have been set for all departments and divisions in the state-wide campaign. The state government has also directed proper preparations to ensure the availability of high-quality saplings for all stakeholders, officials here said on Sunday.
The goal is to plant 350 million saplings, with specific targets assigned to various departments: 140 million for Forest, Environment, and Climate Change, 125.9 million for Rural Development, 25 million for Agriculture, 15.5 million for Horticulture, 12.8 million for Panchayati Raj, 10.6 million for Revenue, 3.5 million for Urban Development, 1.8 million for Higher Education, 1.4 million for Silk, 1.3 million each for Public Works, Railways, and Water Power department.
The target is 1.2 million saplings for Basic Education, 1.1 million for Health, 9 lakh for Industry, 8 lakh each for Industrial Development and Secondary Education, 7 lakhs each for Home-Animal Husbandry, 6 lakh each for Energy and Cooperation, 5 lakhs each for Housing Development, Defence, and Technical Education, and 3 lakhs each for Labour and Transport departments.
Under the campaign, saplings will be planted in all 18 state divisions and targets have been fixed for the same. Lucknow division has been given the target of planting the maximum number of saplings. Four crore saplings will be planted in the Lucknow division, 3.13 crores in Kanpur division, 2.76 crores in Chitrakoot, 2.58 crores in Jhansi, 2.27 crores in Mirzapur, 2.20 crores in Ayodhya, 1.95 crores in Devipatan, 1.89 crores in Prayagraj, 1.87 crores in Bareilly, 1.78 crores in Varanasi, 1.76 crores in Moradabad, 1.74 crores in Agra, 1.43 crores in Gorakhpur, 1.34 crores in Azamgarh, 1.20 crores in Aligarh, 1.14 crores in Meerut division, 1.08 crores in Basti and 88 lakh in Saharanpur division.
There will also be geo-tagging of plantation sites. The Forest Department will plant 12.60 crore saplings in the divisions, and other departments will plant around 22.40 crore saplings.
The Yogi government has directed officials to plant trees statewide to turn Uttar Pradesh green. Trees will planted on forest land, village panchayat and community land, around expressways and canals, on land owned by development authorities and industrial complexes, on defence and railway land, on medical and educational institution grounds, on other government properties, on private farmland with farmers’ cooperation, and by citizens, on their private premises.