Pb govt to plant 550 saplings in each village to mark Guru Nanak's birth anniv

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday announced that his government would undertake a massive plantation drive to mark Guru Nanak Dev's, founder of Sikhism, 550th birth anniversary.

According to an official release here, the government plans to plant 550 saplings in each village of the state starting September 30, 2019.

Underlining the need to plant more trees, Amarinder has appealed to the public to participate in the drive as the initiative could help make Punjab clean, green and pollution-free.

He asked the people to make this plantation drive a grand success as this gigantic task could not be accomplished without their active support and participation.

The CM said nearly 66 lakh saplings of seasonal trees would be planted in 12,700 villages.

The departments of forests and rural development and panchayats are the nodal agencies for the drive and the departments have been entrusted with the task of supplying 550 saplings to each village under this year-long drive beginning September 30, the CM said.

Both these departments had also been directed to oversee the arrangements and effective implementation of this environment-friendly plan, he added.

The chief minister also asked the panchayats, youth clubs and schools besides social, religious and non-government organisations to contribute towards this noble initiative.