Opinion
Project Green Maharashtra – a step towards a greener nation.
Maharashtrian Forest Department launches project Green Maharashtra; urges educational officials to grant a holiday to ensure maximum participation.
With the growing age of industrialization upon us, the world has fallen into the hands of skyscraping buildings, chimneys belching flames into the sky and machines tearing down our forest covers.
With the issue of environmental degradation and climate change upon us, the Maharashtrian Forest Department has taken up the responsibility to launch Project Green Maharashtra which aims at affiliating itself with teenagers, namely, students from schools and colleges to plant over 2 crore saplings in the span of a day.
This major step towards boosting the environmental health in the state of Maharashtra as well as the nation was taken up due to the decrease in the forest cover of Maharashtra, from a required 33% to a devastating 20%. It has been estimated that out of a total of 307 lakh hectares, only 61.37 lakh hectares will be under cover, however, this too is a huge step towards restoring ecological and environmental balance.
The plan of action of the Forest Department is to plant about 1.5 crore saplings themselves, with another 50 lakh being planted by school and college going student. Hence, the forest department has requested the state educational officials to declare the 1st of July as a holiday to facilitate maximum participation. However, the Government is yet to give their final statement.
Not only does the forest department seek help from young hands, but have also sent invitations to private firms in order to call out to their social corporate responsibility.
Another important part of this project is to nurture and care for the implanted samplings and not just have a one day crusade. The Principal Secretary of the forest department is to monitor and supervise the development of the program.
Along with this much needed initiative, a special software has also been developed to allow officials to monitor progress along with manual monitoring by committees at the district level.
Efforts like these are required by all to be taken in order to integrate ourselves as a family in protecting our Mother Earth. For this is our home, and if we don’t take care of it, who will?
Image used for representational purpose only