Photo Courtesy: nenews
Guwahati: Assam wants one crore new trees in the ground by Independence Day. Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah announced the plan this week following a planting event at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. The state drive runs from August 10 to 14.
Nearly 10 lakh students from schools and colleges will lead the effort. Each student is expected to plant ten saplings. To keep the trees alive, the government is pairing every student with a worker holding a job card under the VB-GRAM-G scheme. These workers get 1,500 rupees if at least half the saplings survive. Baruah said, "The arrangement is expected to strengthen plantation success while also creating additional livelihood opportunities for rural workers."
Students who prove their trees are growing via geo-tagged photos will earn a Briksha Bandhu certificate. The state also plans to launch a fruit tree program next year. Starting in April, officials will hand out one crore indigenous fruit saplings like mango and star fruit.
Baruah also kicked off a project to re-green Brahmaputra riverbanks. Drones will drop seed balls over barren areas. Meanwhile, the crackdown on illegal sawmills remains a priority. The minister warned that forest officials face punishment if they let unauthorized mills operate in their areas.
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