Assam set to count the giving sapling and tree

The Assam government has urged people to plant 10 million saplings on Gandhi Jayanti this year to help mitigate climate change and expand the state’s tree economy.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced in Guwahati that the state government will reward “individuals with Rs 100 on planting a sapling and a further Rs 200, if it survives for three years”.

“If we succeed this year, then we will plant 1 crore saplings next year (2024) on October 2. Those planting saplings will have to register on the web portal along with geolocation,” the chief minister said.


Sarma said forest regulation has been amended to allow people to plant commercial trees, which could be felled after a certain period.

“For the last few days, temperatures have crossed almost 38 degrees Celsius. I sympathise with everyone as we are experiencing soaring temperatures and scorching heat.

We should take steps to increase our forest cover, phase away fossil fuels and free up encroached forest lands,” the chief minister said.

Assam is battling scorching heat conditions over the last 10 days and school timings have been revised in several districts.

“You know Assam is a state with 20% of its forest land occupied by encroachers. This means we have destroyed 20% of our forests and people are living in it unlawfully. We are witnessing adverse effects currently and on top of that destroying the hills. Using the hills as living areas is also showing its effects,” said Sarma.