Forest Minister urges citizens to plant more trees for greener Maharashtra

Maharashtra forest minister Sanjay Rathod on Wednesday urged citizens to plant more trees to improve the state's green cover. The minister made this appeal at the launch of a tree plantation programme under Vasantrao Naik Harit Maharashtra Abhiyan in Thane district.

Citing the Indian Plants Forest Survey 2019, Rathod said Maharashtra has 20.01 per cent forest cover compared to 8.65 per cent in India. The state's forest area has increased by about 97,500 hectares in 2019, he said, adding that the government plans to plant 10 crore trees annually for the next five years.

The government has proposed to plant five crore trees through the forest department and the remaining through gram panchayats, administrative departments and the Central government establishments in the state, the minister said. Rathod also appealed to citizens to take part in this campaign and contribute towards making Maharashtra greener.

(Photo Credit: PTI)