CM exhorts people’s participation in forest conservation through ‘Van Mitras’
2 min read
Shimla June 2
· CM inspects passing-out parade of newly appointed Van Mitras
· Launches Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana and Green Adoption Scheme
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana’ from Hamirpur today. Terming it as a significant step towards environmental conservation and community participation in forest management, he said that the scheme not only aims to increase the green cover by planting fruit-bearing trees on barren and degraded forest areas but will also generate employment and income for local communities by ensuring participation of mahila and yuvak mandals besides self-help groups.
The Chief Minister handed over certificates in this respect to two Mahila Mandals from Nadaun, viz: Amlehad and Bhawdan, which will carry out the plantation activities on two hectares of forest land and ensure its maintenance for a period of five years.
The Chief Minister also launched the ‘Green Adoption Scheme’. In the initial phase, Ambuja Company would undertake plantation work on 25 hectares, while the Adani Foundation and UltraTech would adopt 10 hectares each. He handed over certificates to these organisations as a mark of official recognition. The scheme envisages encouraging private enterprises, corporate houses and non-governmental organisations as a part of their social responsibility to adopt barren forest land and undertake afforestation work. This initiative not only contributes to environmental protection but also provides companies with an opportunity to fulfil their corporate social responsibility, said the Chief Minister.
During the event, the Chief Minister inspected the passing-out parade of the newly appointed van mitras and interacted with them. He said that the Forest department had been facing a shortage of field staff, which posed challenges to forest protection. To address this, appointments of van mitras have been made based on merit, with many young women taking the lead in securing these roles. He assured them that the government was committed to framing future policies that safeguard their careers and recognise them as true guardians of the forests. He said that the state government was focusing on women empowerment and the reservation for women in police recruitment has been increased to 30 percent and in Lahaul-Spiti, all key administrative officers, including the Deputy Commissioner were women with decision-making authority.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that Himachal Pradesh, known as Dev Bhoomi (Land of the Gods), was not only a centre of faith and culture but also abundantly blessed by nature. The state’s forest wealth plays a vital role in environmental conservation and significantly contributes to the economy and tourism. He said that the government began working towards making Himachal a Green State soon after assuming office. The Forest department has been actively implementing various initiatives to support this vision.
