Ramanathapuram
The “Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation (AKIF)” has proposed to launch a massive one crore tree plantation programme in Tamil Nadu on July 27 – the death anniversary of former president APJ Abdul Kalam under the ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Scial Forest (AKSF) Plantation Drive 2.0.’
As Kalam believed in clean and green India, the foundation has chalked out an ambitious plan to plant one crore saplings throughout the State, involving school and college students and youth who believed in Kalam’s ideals, APJMJ Sheik Saleem, grand nephew of Kalam and Managing Trustee of AKIF, said.
“We are planning to plant one crore well grown (at least six ft high) saplings in all the districts in the State by December, 2020 by involving school and college students,” he said. The foundation has already started growing the saplings in nurseries across the districts and the district-wise plantation programme would commence from this district, he added.
As part of the drive, the foundation would plant one lakh tree saplings around Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi Airports and Vellore with the support of Airports Authority of India (AAI), he said. After completing the plantations by the year end, the foundation would launch year-long awareness campaign, he said.
While creating awareness of the need to enhance the green cover in the State, the foundation would tie up with youth and students bodies and start plantation of tree saplings in the districts, he said. The AKSF awareness van would be flagged off after ‘Support AKSF Students Rally’ by students to promote clean and green environment and water preservation on July 27, he said.
