Along with planting saplings, pledge to protect them as well: Manohar Lal

Kurukshetra : Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal while addressing the 73rd State Level Van Mahotsav at Saraswati Van in Kurukshetra on Tuesday said that along with planting more and more saplings, we should also take a pledge to preserve and protect them. Haryana Government has started the Darshan Lal Jain Environment Award for the people who love trees and preserve the environment and in future the award related to environment will be expanded further.

The Chief Minister first paid tribute to the great hero of the 1857 revolution, Sh. Mangal Pandey on his birth anniversary. Extending his greetings to the people of the state for the Van Mahotsav, Sh. Manohar Lal said that in this holy month of Sravana the beauty of nature is at its best and celebrating Van Mahotsav in this holy month is a festival in itself.

The Chief Minister said that in the year 1950, The Van Mahotsav or Forest Festival was initiated by Sh. Kanaiyalal Maneklal and it’s a matter of great pride for us that today we are celebrating the 73rd Van Mahotsav.

He said that so far several researches have shown that forests are not found on any other planet, other than earth, hence we should plant more and more trees and also protect them, said the Chief Minister.

God lives in forests: Chief Minister
Chief Minister said that in India it is strongly believed that God lives in forests. Explaining the meaning of ‘Bhagwan’ further, Sh. Manohar Lal said that ‘Bh’ stands for Bhoomi or Earth, G stands for Gagan or Space, ‘V’ stands for Vayu or Air, ‘A’ stands for Agni or Fire and ‘N’ stands for Neer or Water. All these elements are found in forests.

The Chief Minister said that forest gives us air, wood to light fire, rain and water. He said that if we wish to save animals then we have to save the forests. Today each one of us needs to take a pledge to plant at least one sapling and protect it till it grows into a beautiful tree.
This is the best time to plant saplings: Manohar Lal

The Chief Minister said that due to the monsoon in July, August and September, this is the best time to plant saplings. So we should plant more and more trees. The government plants saplings every year, he added.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that this year also 2 crore saplings will be planted. At present, the forest area of Haryana is 7.14 percent. To increase it by 20 percent, it is very important to plant more and more trees and it is the responsibility of all of us to increase the State’s green cover, he added.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that the State Government has also started a scheme to provide compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre to the horticulture farmers for planting one acre of orchards for three years.

Medicinal plants will be planted in 50,000 acres in Morni
The Chief Minister said that a plan has been made to plant medicinal plants in 50,000 acres of Morni area with the help of Patanjali Yog Peeth. The farmers there will get benefit from this scheme. Medicinal plants are useful to us and act as life saving medicines, he added.

Highlighting the importance of forests, the Chief Minister said that Mahatma Buddha had attained enlightenment under a tree. Lord Sri Krishna gave the knowledge of Gita under the banyan tree. Apart from this, the saints and sanyasees did penance under the trees. Trees are important in the life of all of us, he added.

Pension started for trees above 75 years of age
The Chief Minister said that in a bid to express gratitude towards the trees which are above 75 years of age, Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme (PVDPS) has been started by the State Government.

Under this scheme, a pension amount of Rs 2500 per year per tree has been fixed for the maintenance of trees above the age of 75 years. It will also be increased every year on the similar lines of Old Age Samman Allowance Scheme. The Forest Research Institute (FRI) will evaluate the age of such trees.

He said that the Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi has launched an important scheme of ‘Amrit Sarovar’ on the occasion of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.Johad is the lifeline of the villagers of Haryana and is worshiped.

There are no shady trees on these johads anymore. Therefore, today, trees namely Banyan, Peepal, Neem and Pilkhan have been planted by the dignitaries on 2200 rural johads of 22 districts of the state, said Sh. Manohar Lal.

More ‘Oxy Van’ to be established in Haryana
The Chief Minister said that more ‘Oxy Van’ would be established across the state. Under this, hundreds of trees will be planted on 5 acres to 100 acres. So far, ‘Oxy Van’ has been established in Panchkula, Karnal, Sonipat and Yamunanagar. In future also the same would be established in more places also, he added.

The Chief Minister said that trees are very precious. The Supreme Court has also given respect to the glory of trees and has said that the true value of a tree, with 100 years of its lifespan, would be Rs 72 lakh. Therefore every possible effort should be made to protect and preserve the trees. He said that necessary medicines needed to maintain the health of the trees would be ensured by the forest department.

The road from Seonsar to Ishaq will be widened
The Chief Minister announced on the demand of the people of Seonsar village, that the road from Seonsar to Ishaq would be widened. Along with this, the feasibility of setting up a market in Neemwala will be done and after this, the market would be set up.

Forest and Wildlife Minister, Sh. Kanwar Pal, Kurukshetra MP, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, S. Sandeep Singh, Thanesar MLA, Sh. Subhash Sudha, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Wildlife Department, Sh. A.K Singh and other senior officers also remained present on the occasion.