Chirag Gupta
Patna: A review meeting on tree plantation under the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Abhiyan was held at Aranya Bhawan, chaired by Dr. Prem Kumar, Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Bihar. The meeting was attended by senior officials, including the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Work Planning Training and Extension), Chief Conservators of Forests (Administration and Joint Forest Management), Conservator of Forests (Wildlife Zone, Patna), Director of Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, and the Special and Joint Secretaries of the Department of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
Currently, about 15% of Bihar’s geographical area is covered in green cover, with plans under the Fourth Agriculture Road Map to increase it to 17%. As part of the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Abhiyan, large-scale plantation activities are being carried out both on forest and non-forest land. The state aims to plant 20 crore saplings from 2023 to 2028. For the year 2024-25, 3.89 crore saplings have been planted against the target of 4.68 crore.
The Agroforestry Other Species Scheme has achieved significant progress, with farmers planting 32.64 lakh saplings out of the 41.5 lakh target for 2024-25. Similarly, Jeevika Didi groups have planted 75.25 lakh saplings against a target of 80.34 lakh. Under MNREGA, 199.62 lakh saplings have been planted, surpassing the target of 177.49 lakh, while the Directorate of Horticulture has planted 8.37 lakh saplings against its target of 9.31 lakh.
To ensure the availability of saplings, the state has established 246 departmental nurseries with a production capacity exceeding 8 crore plants. Additionally, under the Chief Minister Private Nursery Scheme, 192 farmer-run nurseries and 302 Jeevika-run nurseries have been set up, collectively producing 1 crore plants annually.
The minister emphasized the importance of utilizing the spring season for tree plantation, particularly in North Bihar, where the climate is most conducive. Officials were instructed to prepare district-wise plantation plans and achieve the set targets for poplar sapling plantation under the Agroforestry-Poplar Scheme for the financial year 2024-25.
