One of the best gifts to offer our future generations is to leave them a livable flourishing planet. We can do this by helping keep the planet clean and green. Noida denizens play their part by participating in swachchata abhiyaans, tree plantation drives and organizing Greenathon like environment friendly activities to spread awareness.
This year too Noida geared up for the annual tree plantation drive with the onset of monsoon as part of the Van Mahotsav celebrations. However, it was mostly a restricted activity following social distancing and wearing masks.
The city administration facilitated a massive tree plantation drive as part of the ongoing Van Mahotsav 2020 celebrations from July 01-07, 2020. A record 2.76 lakh saplings were planted in 63 sectors of the city in various parks and green belts of Noida.
Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari tweeted on her official handle
“The lifeline of human life is trees. We must put all efforts to save and care for our nature. The best gift we can give to the next generation is a green and clean world.” Plant a Tree. Nurture a Tree. Protect a Tree. he lifeline of human life is trees. We must put all efforts to save and care for our nature. The best gift we can give to the next generation is a green and clean world.”
“Plant a Tree. Nurture a Tree. Protect a Tree.“
Did you know, Van Mahotsav was started in 1950 by Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi. It is an annual one week tree planting festival in India. Keeping the tradition, Uttar Pradesh government has set a record-setting target of planting 25 crore saplings in the first week of July 2020.
India Committed to Clean and Green Earth
India is committed to keeping our mother Earth safe for our future generations by reducing carbon footprint with various interventions.
In 2008, India pledged to increasing the country’s forest cover to 33% as part of National Mission for a “Green India” under National Action Plan on Climate Change. In 2014, it formally launched the “Green India Mission” with stated goals to increase forest cover by 5 mha with a budget allocation of whopping Rs 46,000 crore.
Not only this, India committed to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. This is part of India’s Intended Nationally determined contributions (INDCs) under the Paris Agreement for Climate Change.
In 2015, 196 Parties came together under Paris Agreement to transform their development trajectories so that they set the world on a course towards sustainable development, aiming at limiting warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels.
Concerns of Citizens
The successive massive afforestation drives are a welcome step towards increasing the forest cover. But it raises some pertinent concerns over the upkeep of the previously planted forests. As a concerned citizen one wonders if a count is kept of the survival of successive plantations. In today’s world it is easier to keep track of this with the use of drone technology, satellite imaging and geo-tagging the plantations. It will certainly help in limiting the costs of replanting the same land. After all huge budgetary allocations are committed towards these plantation drives every year.
India is not only committed to increase the forest cover but also improve the quality of forest cover on forest land as well as non-forest land under the Green India Mission. This entails planting of trees of mixed species to enrich biodiversity of the area instead of planting same trees year after year which are usually fast-growing varieties.
Take a Pledge
Every Indian should support and participate in fulfilling our nation’s commitment for reducing carbon footprint for a better world and a future with sustainable growth. Plant a tree, grow your own food, add color to the environment by planting flowering varieties. Do your bit!
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The Untourists
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Chalo, something nice to hear of in these strange times of the pandemic. Forests and trees are so essential to our lives, both biological and spiritual.
Tom
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The set fits very well