New Delhi [India], November 27 (ANI): Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, chaired a high-level review meeting in New Delhi to review the ongoing preparations for plantation efforts for greening the Delhi-NCR region, a press release from the ministry stated.
The meeting held on Wednesday was attended by the Secretary (EFCC), along with other senior officers of the Ministry and Principal Chief Conservators of Forests (PCCFs) of Haryana, Government of NCT of Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
According to the press release, the meeting focused on adopting a scientifically planned, community-engaging and convergence-based approach for enhancing green cover across the NCR.
This goal is envisioned to be achieved through a comprehensive district-wise action plan. It will comprise of both rural and urban areas, involving forest land as well as other government land and identify land parcels in the urban areas belonging to Urban Local bodies.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the progress of the identification of areas of plantation for 2026-27 and asked the NCR States to undertake a detailed district-wise planning.
He asked for incorporating identification of total forest areas, protected Areas, zoos (existing and proposed) Community forests, revenue forests, Nagar Vans/Namo Parks (proposed and approved); identification and mapping of degraded forest land; catchment areas of rivers, water bodies, wetlands and Ramsar sites; other public spaces under different authorities including Revenue lands, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs); classification of above areas based on quality of existing vegetation and managing agencies; nurseries in rural and urban areas; and convergence of resources available with different agencies.
Bhupender Yadav also stressed that all Eco-Clubs in NCR should be identified and mapped for their engagement in awareness generation as well as active participation in plantation and maintenance activities. He desired that Natural History, as well as its regional centres, should be actively involved in the plantation efforts.
States were also requested to map all existing nurseries along with their current production capacities and assess the requirement for their strengthening to meet future plantation needs. Based on the data, States agreed to do a detailed spatial analysis to identify areas suitable for plantation, the type of plantation activities to be undertaken and stakeholders to be involved in those plantation activities and prepare the district-wise detailed action plan, the release said.
The Union Minister called on the States to assess all existing forest and wildlife management plans factoring in the directions of courts applicable in the NCR region and prepare a Micro Plan for the next five years, identifying the areas to be taken up for plantation each year, implementing agencies, opportunities for community participation, nature of plantation interventions Nurseries and sources of quality planting material, and mapping of funding sources under existing schemes such as the Green India Mission, Nagar Van Yojana, Green Credit Programme (GCP), Compensatory Afforestation Fund, State funds, MGNREGA, river rejuvenation programmes/schemes, and other relevant schemes.
Further, he stressed upon identification of all the areas affected by invasive species, and eco-restoration of such areas to be made an integral component of the Micro Plans developed.
According to the press release, the Minister emphasised that the Micro Plans should also indicate the departments and ministries requiring convergence for effective implementation, so that there is effective coordination amongst all the stakeholders. He underscored on preparing a list of all ongoing litigations related to projects in the districts and assessing the issues involved to address key regulatory constraints.
Yadav asked officials of the Ministry to prepare a Five-Year Greening Plan for the National Capital Region by consolidating the district-wise Micro Plans prepared by the States. Based on this integrated plan, coordinated actions will be initiated for ensuring necessary facilitation, which would, amongst other benefits, also support the fulfilment of the greening plantation efforts being monitored by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
He requested the Forest Survey of India (FSI) to provide the States with data on degraded forest lands and areas affected by invasive species for incorporation into the State planning process. He asked all the States to identify degraded forest lands and make them available on the Green Credit Programme (GCP) portal to enable participation of individuals, public and private entities in eco-restoration activities in alignment with the approved Micro Plans.
Bhupender Yadav emphasised that a scientifically planned, technology-enabled and convergence-based district-wise greening strategy for Delhi and NCR is crucial for strengthening the ecological security of the NCR and achieving sustained improvement in air quality over the long term.
The Minister emphasised that the next meeting in this regard would be held shortly to review the progress of the action taken by the State Governments and the Government of NCT of Delhi, the press release stated. (ANI)
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