NEW DELHI: Delhi government on Sunday inaugurated the seventh Van Mahotsav at Babarpur in northeast Delhi. The plantation drive is aimed at reducing air pollution in the capital. As a highlight of the programme, a portal to enable citizens to know which areas are notified as forest areas and wildlife sanctuaries was launched by Environment Minister Gopal Rai.
By knowing which regions are designated for conservation, Delhi residents can contribute to the preservation of their surroundings, a statement quoted the minister as saying. The portal, evanlekh.eforest.delhi.gov.in, introduces several features that empower citizens and streamline information dissemination. Rai said that with the participation of MLAs and councillors of Delhi, a campaign will be started to distribute free medicinal plants in all 70 assemblies.
The Delhi government said that Van Mahotsav was started from the IARI Pusa campus on July 9 to give impetus to the tree plantation campaign included in the 14 points of the Summer Action Plan. Continuing with the same, today we are celebrating the 7th Van Mahotsav programme in North East Delhi. Rai stated that a continuous decline in pollution is being recorded and there has been a considerable increase in the green cover inside Delhi.
“In Delhi, where the green cover was 20 per cent in the year 2013, it has increased to 23.06 per cent in the year 2021 due to the efforts of the Kejriwal government. The result of this is that today the pollution level of Delhi has seen a reduction of more than 30 per cent in the last 8 years,” the minister said.
Rai said that every year a tree plantation campaign is being conducted to increase the green belt and to reduce pollution. “From the year 2020, when our government was created, to 2022-2023 — the second term of the Kejriwal government — 1.18 crore seedlings have been planted. The government of our country has set a goal to plant 52 lakh trees this year as well. The green agencies of each of the 21 involved departments will work together to achieve this goal. In addition, the NDMC will plant 50 lakh shrubs/saplings,” the minister said. Free medicinal plants were also distributed by the department to all the people present in the programme.
