Chandigarh: With a target of planting 1.4 crore saplings this year, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Friday attended Haryana’s 77th Van Mahotsav in Manesar.
Dignitaries present on the dais included Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, state Minister for Environment and Forests Rao Narbir Singh, public representatives and senior officials of the state government.
Addressing the event, Union Minister Yadav congratulated the state government for its efforts to make Gurugram not just a millennium city but also a green city.
He highlighted that Haryana is actively working on Centre’s recommendations to protect Aravallis and prevent air pollution.
Union Minister Yadav also congratulated sportspersons, especially girls from Haryana, for bringing laurels to the country in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games.
Bhupender Yadav said he had reviewed the air quality situation in Haryana a few days ago and was happy to note that the state government has taken cognisance of his recommendations and worked to carry them forward.
The recommendations, inter alia, included housing societies to have solid waste management rules in place, industries to install Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) and Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs), implementation of smart traffic management and greening activities be undertaken.
He stressed the importance of grasslands and woodlands for soil conservation and maintaining the water table, and added that good work has been done in the state in this regard.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Saini said Van Mahotsav is not merely a programme for planting saplings but an opportunity to repay our debt to nature.
He added that while the world today talks of environmental protection, India accorded nature the status of worship thousands of years ago.
Chief Minister Saini said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the guiding mantra of planting ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, under which a target of 1.4 crore trees has been set for the state this year, with the participation of different stakeholders ensured.
He added that it is the collective responsibility of all to make the Aravallis green again.
The Chief Minister said the major highlight of this year’s celebrations was that district-level Van Mahotsav programmes were simultaneously organised across all the districts of Haryana.
(IANS)
