18 Jharkhand villages identified under 'Green India Mission'

Eighteen villages have been identified under union government sponsored 'Green India Mission' for undertaking eco-friendly development programmes in the areas falling under Seraikela forest division in Seraikela-Kharswan district of Jharkhand.

A team of Union Ministry of Forest and Development led by Additional Secretary Sushil Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Jharkhand, Dr D K Srivastav, Additional PCCF, Jharkhand R B Singh visited the villages recently to take stock of the situation, Satyajit Singh, Conservator of Forest, said today.

The main objective of the mission was to develop the ecological and economic scenerio by choosing different developmental schemes including rain water harvesting and greenery among others, Singh said.

"We have developed rain water harvesting system and check dams in four villages in forest land about two years ago and the villagers, who were facing acute water crisis for long, have started getting water for irrigations round the year," he said.

Besides, the forest division has also developed facilities for development of pissiculture and poultry which have helped villagers to earn livelihood, Singh said.

The Mission proposed a holistic view of greening and focuses not on carbon sequestration targets alone, but on multiple ecosystem services, especially, biodiversity, water and biomass among others, he said.