Urban Forest Forest programme to be launched in June: Prakash Javadekar

COIMBATORE: The Centre will launch Urban Forest Programme on June 5 under which saplings will be planted across the country with the participation of people.

Announcing this, Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar today said there was need to increase forest cover which can protect the nature and ecosystem.

"We are experiencing now the impact of climate change and there is a need to mitigate the very pressure created by the change. Since United Nations has planned to create one billion trees in five years, India can also match this one billion trees, if the 125 crore population planted one tree each."

Stating that there was no forest land available, he said saplings would be planted in government land which was not compounded and encroached upon.

He was inaugurating 'Project Green Hands,' an environmental initiative of Isha Foundation, here.

Referring to human-animal conflict in Coimbatore, Javadekar said the new Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) bill will help take care of the fodder requirement and also water storage for the animals, particularly elephants, which would help in preventing migration of wild animals to human habitats.

Another challenge being faced by the ministry was the disposal of plastic waste, which was to the tune of 15,000 tonne per day across the country, he said.

Government would take stringent action against those who produced plastic below 40 microns, he added.