Itanagar: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EFCC) has selected Itanagar for the implementation of the ‘Nagar Van’ or Urban Forest scheme.
The ‘Nagar Van’ scheme launched by the ministry envisages creating forests in 200 urban cities across the country on a public-private-partnership basis.
The ministry would offer an initial grant of Rs 2 crore for fencing, maintenance, and administrative costs of the earmarked land to be developed.
Attending a meeting of the ministry chaired by EFCC Minister Prakash Javadekar through video conferencing on Monday, CM Pema Khandu informed that as there are only two urban cities in the state Itanagar and Pasighat, the state capital has been selected for implementation of the scheme this year.
He also said that the state Environment and Forest department has already earmarked the land measuring about 20 hectares for the creation of an ‘Urban Forest.
Khandu, who is also the minister in-charge of Environment and Forest, informed Javadekar that the ministries’ Nagar Van scheme would be dovetailed with the Smart City project.
Giving details of the action taken by the state government in the implementation of various central government schemes regarding environment and forest, the chief minister said that 100 schools across the state are being identified for the scheme ‘School Nursery’.
Under the scheme, students would grow their own trees in a chosen place within the school premises and care for it and at the end of the year, they would take the sapling and plant it in their own premises.
The Union ministry plans to cover 1000 schools this year with a target of covering 5,000 schools by the year 2024 -25.
Khandu said that plantation under the 20-point programme of the Union ministry; the state had planted 6 lakh trees surpassing its target of 1 lakh saplings.
He assured that by the end of 2020, 12 lakh saplings would be planted across the state.
The Chief Minister underscored the importance of getting onboard the Centre’s National Transit Pass System in the context of Arunachal Pradesh, where stretches of forest land are owned by communities as well as individuals.
As the system ensures a seamless movement of forest produces across the country giving farmers economic rights over their forest land, Khandu observed that in such a situation farmers will get motivated to plant trees of their choice increasing the forest cover of the state.
He directed the state officials to get on board the portal as soon as possible and create awareness amongst the farmers, the communique said.
The meeting also attended by Union Minister of State for EFCC Babul Supriyo and Forest ministers of 30 states and UTs, discussed in detail all the six schemes being launched by the Union ministry.
Besides the Nagar Van, School Nursery, Plantation, and National Transit Pass System, the ministry is also implementing Water and Fodder Augmentation in Forest Land and Rejuvenation of 12 major rivers schemes in coordination with the states and union territories.