Green cover in Haryana to be expanded to 20%: Bhupinder Singh Hooda

The green cover in Haryana will be expanded to 20% by the year 2020, chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said.

Making the announcement at the 61st state level Van Mahotsav here, Hooda said the state government has set itself a target of planting five crore saplings of different species during the current financial year as a step towards expanding the green cover in the state.

Highlighting the importance of tree plantation in preserving the eco-system and controlling global warming, the chief minister said increasing the forest cover to 20 per cent in 10 years was not an easy task but it had to be achieved as there was no alternative.

Presently, Haryana has 6.83% forest cover area which was just 2% in the year 1966 and the state Forests department has been given target to increase the green cover to 10% in the next two to three years, he added.

The chief minister also announced an ambitious scheme to plant trees on farmers' land with their concurrence.

The Forest department would not only bear the cost of the plantation but also take care of the trees for three years before handing them back to the farmers, he said.