UP govt to plant 350 mn saplings in monsoon season, to raise it to 480 mn

The Uttar Pradesh government will plant 35 crore saplings this year in the monsoon season as part of its annual plantation drive.

The state's forest department will raise 48 crore saplings in nurseries to achieve the target.

Over 40 crore saplings have been raised already and the rest will be ready before June.

Mission director for this year's plantation drive, Anjani Acharya said that the forest department is currently working on the final plan for the plantation drive.

"It will be in place after the district-wise plantation targets are set and the state government clears it," he said.

As of now, management and monitoring of more than 1,800 nurseries where saplings are being raised is the priority of the department.

Coordinators have been appointed for each of the 18 divisions for management and monitoring of the nurseries, said the official.

Hi-tech nurseries with mist chambers, shade houses, sprinklers, vermicompost and 'jeevamrit' are being set up in every division.

The nurseries belong to different government departments and include a few private ones as well.

The species that will be planted have been categorised under broad groups, like those yielding food and fruit or fodder and fuel and economically viable ones, like timber and bamboo varieties.

The species that have been planted over the last few years in the state will all be included in the broad categories under the sub-groups.

If there comes up a demand for any such species which is not available in the nurseries in the state, it will be brought in from other states.

At present, the forest department is getting the soil work done which is about digging the pits and enriching the soil for plantation.

--IANS

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