Japanese Aid For Green Punjab Environmental Projects

Japan has decided to provide a financial aid of Rs 409 crore to Punjab for various environmental projects in the state. According to the state minister for forests Mohan Lal, the first installment of the Japanese aid has already been received by the Punjab government. With the Japanese financial assistance, the state forest department, to begin with, has decided to undertake a massive plantation programme all over Punjab during the current financial year. This programme will cover an area of 1,10,000 hectares. Under the environment programme, 10 lakh saplings will be planted in different districts of the state in the coming two months. The forest department will spend Rs 2 crore on the Green Punjab project.

The forest department will provide free saplings for plantation all over the state, the minister said.

The state government has also decided to reconstitute the Punjab Forest Corporation to accelerate various environment projects in the state.

Under the Green Punjab project, the forest department had set up 250 nurseries in different parts of the state. More than two crore saplings have already been produced by these nurseries.