NTPC to plant 1 crore trees this fiscal

State-run power giant NTPC today said it plans to plant one crore trees across the country this fiscal under its afforestation drive.
"NTPC has embarked upon accelerated afforestation drive with the state forest departments of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and Maharashtra to plant 10 million trees during 2016-17," NTPC said in a press release.
The drive is in tandem with the recently announced Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC-2030) of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tones of CO2 equivalent through forests and tree cover by 2030, the firm said.
NTPC has already signed Memorandum of Understanding with the states' forest departments of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Karnataka for the accelerated afforestation. While others are expected to be signed shortly.

As per the MOU, the respective agencies will plant different trees, bamboo or any other local species capable to sequester carbon. NTPC shall assist in plantation and subsequent maintenance for a period of five years.
The MoU with Karnataka was signed on August 27, in Bangaluru for plantation of 5,32,950 trees.