Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan planted saplings under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign. He announced the formation of ‘Vriksha Mitra Parivar’ to increase public participation in environmental protection, the objective of which is to collectively connect the society with this campaign.
Formation of ‘Tree Friend Family’ for environmental protection
New Delhi [भारत]July 13 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday planted saplings as part of the ongoing massive tree plantation drive and announced the formation of ‘Vriksha Mitra Parivar’ to encourage greater public participation in environment protection.
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, Chouhan said the campaign aims to unite the society to tackle climate change and promote sustainable afforestation through collective action.
Highlighting the initiative, the Minister said that the initial social media appeal received support from around 16,000 volunteers. To organize these efforts, he announced the formation of ‘Vriksha Mitra Parivar’.
Chauhan said, “I wouldn’t call it an organization; it’s really a family.” “We have decided to form this ‘Vriksha Mitra Parivar’ to gradually involve the entire society in tree planting efforts, as planting trees alone is not enough,” he said.
He further said, “The Prime Minister has taken this pledge to make the world a better place. Planting trees is a very effective way to accomplish this. Hence, we have decided to give an organized form to this campaign and bring the society together.”
Government keeping an eye on monsoon situation and Kharif sowing
Earlier on July 8, amid monsoon uncertainty arising from the possible impact of El Nino, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is actively managing the situation with full preparedness, clear strategy and strong ground action.
Chauhan said that although challenges exist, the system is proactive and alert in addressing them. He said that after 33 per cent rainfall deficit in June, the situation improved in July, and now the deficit has come down to 24 per cent.
According to an official release, the number of low rainfall districts has reduced from 262 to 178 due to recent widespread rainfall in various parts of the country.
After a high-level review meeting, Chouhan told reporters that special monitoring is being done in states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal and Odisha.
It is expected that the pace of rain will increase in July, which will speed up Kharif sowing. (ANI)
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