Green India Mission: ₹365 crore landscape plan for Haryana gets green signal

Haryana’s steering committee of Green India Mission met under the chairmanship of chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal here on Monday approved the ₹365 crore annual plan for recognised landscapes in the state.

The planning and implementation of interventions under the National Afforestation Programme (NAP) is designed on the basis of landscape and in Haryana the recognised landscapes are Shivaliks, plains and Aravalis, said an official spokesperson.

The work to be carried out under the perspective plan for the recognised landscapes include eco-restoration, enhancing tree cover in urban and per-urban areas, including institutional lands, agro-forestry and social forestry. It also includes soil and moisture conservation works in the moderately dense forest cover showing degradation.

Out of ₹365 crore, ₹183 crore has been approved for the Shivalik landscape comprising areas in districts Panchkula, Yamunanagar and Ambala, ₹143 crore has been sanctioned for the plain landscape comprising Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Jind, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and Kaithal districts. Similarly, a sum of ₹38.38 crore has been approved for Aravali landscape comprising areas of districts Faridabad, Gurugram, Nuh, Mahendergarh, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Palwal and Rewari.

The chief secretary directed that synergy between different schemes of the forest department and funds under the Green India Mission should be maintained to achieve the targets of the annual plan of operations. He said the quality of forest cover should be enhanced with improvements in ecosystem services.

He directed the officers to issue instructions regarding intensive plantation and conduct inspection of ponds under the Amrit Sarovar Scheme. Kaushal said Amrit Sarovar is an exemplary model and an intensive plantation should be carried out around the ponds under the scheme.