West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wished to all on the occasion of Van Mahotsav today.
“Go Green, Save Green. Let Consciousness emerge from Green. My best wishes to all,” Ms Banerjee posted on her social networking page.
Every year Van Mahotsav is celebrated across the state for seven days beginning July 14.
On the occasion of Van Mahotsav, the Forest Department today declared some
of the major achievements during the previous years.
Sabujshree Scheme: It was launched to encourage afforestation and ensure
survival of plants. Good quality seedlings distributed to mothers of all newborns
born in government hospitals. About 24 lakh mothers have received the seedlings.
Auction of forest products: The West Bengal Forest Development Corporation
(WBFDC) has started e-auction for disposal of forest produce. In FY 2018-19,
Rs 128.6 crore has been earned from 657 e-auctions.
Forest products: Crude honey amounting to 28.24 metric tonnes has been
collected from forests through fringe dwellers in the Sundarbans. Lac cultivation
is being implemented for uplifting forest fringe populations. This would benefit
about 4,000 families.
Jalatirtha: Under the Jalatirtha Scheme, more than 1,700 hectares have
benefitted (till October 2018) in the arid areas of Bankura and Purulia districts.
Forest conservation: Afforestation of 9,508 hectares of forest and non-forest
areas has been carried out. Under the JICA-assisted West Bengal Forest and
Biodiversity Conservation Project’s community infrastructure development
activities, over 600 joint forest management committees (JFMC) have been
started.
Wasteland conversion: The West Bengal Forest Development Corporation is
greening 30,000 hectares of wastelands in south Bengal by converting the areas
into plantations.
Conservation of medicinal plants: The Research, Monitoring & Development
(RMD) Wing of the Forest Department has created 435 hectares of medicinal
trees, herbs and shrubs.
Wildlife: The first phase of Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri has been completed
ahead of target. Under the West Bengal Forest and Biodiversity Conservation
Project, biodiversity studies have been initiated to study the population dynamics
and habitat management of elephant, leopard, tiger and gaur.
GIS-assisted forest management: The Forest Directorate scientifically manages
the State’s forest areas using geographic information system (GIS), as per the
working plans of the various forest divisions.
