Food-For-Greening Programme Proposed

Based on the experience of using surplus food stock for developmental purposes through food-for-work programmes, the Centre now proposes to use foodgrains for environment conservation through afforestation.

Union food minister Shanta Kumar today said the objective of the new approach was to use food for greening India by taking up tree planting drives involving poor people. Part of their wages could be paid in the form of foodgrains.

He said he had already proposed some states to launch such programmes. The Centre would provide foodgrains for this purpose.

He was speaking at a function organised by the Chennai-based M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and the World Food Programme (WFP) on the occasion of the World Environment Day today. The agenda of the programme including consultation on the sustainability of food security and review of the activities of the consultative group on the care of land and water (CLAW).

Reacting to the minister