Lt Governor Manoj Sinha
As Jammu and Kashmir goals to plant 1.30 crore saplings this year, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha launched ‘Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive-2021’ from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu on Friday. The Lieutenant Governor planted a ‘cupressus’ sapling within the IIT Campus to mark the launch of this mega plantation drive.
The Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive initiative is in consonance with the National Forest Policy, 1988 and the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Policy, 2011 which envisage afforestation on all degraded and denuded lands within the Union Territory inside and outdoors forests.
Speaking on the event, the Lieutenant Governor noticed that the ‘Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive’ goals at making a individuals’s motion at an enormous scale with the involvement of all stakeholders, significantly village panchayats, ladies, college students, Urban Local Bodies, establishments, NGOs, and civil society.
“Our aim is to bring the two-third geographical area of Jammu and Kashmir under the forest and tree cover. The forest and tree cover in Jammu and Kashmir is about 55 per cent, which is substantially higher than the national average of 24.56 per cent,” he mentioned.
The Lieutenant Governor mentioned that it’s a matter of pleasure for everybody that whereas the current circumstances are posing a troublesome problem to the individuals at many locations, the federal government equipment and the individuals of Jammu and Kashmir are discharging their accountability in the direction of the approaching technology by preserving and strengthening pure wealth.
Sinha underlined the significance of taking science and ecology collectively on the trail of improvement. “It is vital to ensure a balance between the development and conservation of our environment. There has never been a more urgent need to revive ecology than today.”
He expressed satisfaction over the initiation of the Green Jammu and Kashmir marketing campaign by the Forest Department concentrating on to plant 130 lakh vegetation this year, in collaboration with colleges, non-governmental establishments and Village Panchayat Plantation Committees (VPPCs) to mark the completion of 130 years of devoted service of the division, which can contribute considerably in growing the inexperienced cowl within the UT.
“I am happy that the Green India Mission is being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir in the spirit of public participation which will bring economic benefits apart from improving the quality and quantity of forests in 320 villages,” mentioned the Lt Governor.
Appealing to each citizen should come ahead to play an necessary half within the restoration of ecology, Sinha mentioned: “Scientific findings show that this decade matters most in preventing catastrophic climate change and reducing biodiversity loss. The United Nations on June 5, 2021 launched a major ambitious program – the ‘Decade of Ecosystem Restoration’, which is a key step towards restoring the destroyed ecology.”
“If we fail to restore our ecology in the next ten years, at least one million species may become extinct in the coming times. As long as the ecological system is protected, we will be able to conserve our forests, rivers and lakes, mountains, meadows, fields and urban landscapes, which are also a source of wealth and health for the society”, mentioned the Lt Governor.
He requested the IIT Jammu administration to put devoted efforts in taking eco-friendly initiatives in order that the establishment can be part of the Green Metric World Colleges competitors on the premise of its Green Campus and Sustainability and might make its place within the high 50 rankings. He additionally suggested the IIT Faculty to set up a bio-digester to convert the campus waste into power.
“Whatever measures we are taking today to restore the ecology and reduce air pollution, plastic pollution, I believe that it will prove to be a boon for the coming generations whether it is in villages or in cities”, he added,
On the event, he handed over the cheques value Rs 1.97 crores to varied Village Panchayat Plantation Committees (VPPCs) because the proceeds of harvesting of mature timber.
Appreciating the position of Social Forestry, the Lieutenant Governor exhorted the division in addition to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to work with renewed zeal and coordination to scale up the plantation actions for all of the extra encouraging outcomes, thereby making PRIs actually empowered and self-reliant.
(With ANI Inputs)
