150L saplings planted across J&K

Jammu and Kashmir has successfully met its ambitious target of planting 150 lakh saplings under the nationwide ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, an initiative aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and afforestation.

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Minister of Forest, Ecology, and Environment, Javed Ahmed Rana, lauded the achievement, attributing it to the collective efforts of government agencies, village institutions, local communities and various stakeholders.

“The aim of the campaign is to contain land degradation and promote restoration of degraded land for a sustainable future,” he said. He commended the Forest Department for spearheading the initiative, emphasising that afforestation efforts not only combat climate change but also enhance environmental awareness.

‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ was launched nationwide to encourage individuals to plant a tree in honour of their mothers and pledge to protect trees and the environment. In J&K, the Forest Department led the initiative, successfully planting 1,50,18,803 saplings with the participation of students, NGOs, security forces, government bodies and environmentalists.

Under the campaign, the Forest Department and its affiliated wings planted 91 lakh saplings on both forest and non-forest lands. Additionally, 59 lakh saplings were distributed among various stakeholders for plantation at different locations across the Union Territory. Significantly, over one lakh trees were planted by the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, while two lakh saplings were distributed on Eid-ul-Fitr.

Javed Rana acknowledged the contributions of various sections of society in achieving the plantation target. “It was heartening to see how enthusiastically people embraced the campaign, reinforcing the importance of environmental stewardship for the well-being of future generations. We would not have been able to achieve the target without the active participation of the local people,” he said.

Throughout the campaign, the Forest Department also conducted awareness drives, educating locals on the significance of tree plantation in mitigating climate change and enhancing green cover.