The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has galvanised panchayats to carry out large-scale afforestation under the Central Government’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme and Green India Mission.
As many as 1.08 lakh saplings will be planted throughout the 14 blocks in the district during 2016-17. The saplings were raised by the Forest Department in its nurseries with a little over Rs. 24 lakh provided by the DRDA.
A few panchayat unions have been identified for following new technology for ensuring strong survival rate. The district administration has advocated digging of pits with two feet depth and filling them with one-third of manure and two-thirds of sand such that water easily reaches roots and make the plants strong enough to resist drought.
Activities related to ecology restoration are already being carried out by the Rural Development Department under MGNREGA scheme by way of rainwater harvesting, afforestation and farm forestry.
Convergence between Rural Development Ministry and Ministry of Environment and Forests was created last year for utilisation of community lands, village common lands, revenue wastelands, wetlands, shifting cultivation areas, and private agricultural lands under MGNREGA for afforestation.
The workforce is utilised for pre-plantation, planting, watering and pit digging, besides fencing, plant support and protection activities, mulching, weeding and manuring the plants, sources said.
