Govt Launches 'Mission Harita Andhra Pradesh’

Andhra Prasesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today has launched 'Mission Harita Andhra Pradesh' with the theme of 'green cover for a happy living' by planting saplings at Sunkollu village, Krishna district. 'Harita' was a pet project of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (late chief minister of United Andhra Pradesh) but Chandrababu Naidu has now made it a 'mission' with a new slogan Vanam-Manam (forest and we). The objective of the mission is to increase the green cover (Forest Area) in the state to 50 % by the year 2029. Andhra Pradesh currently has 23 % of green cover and another 3 % non-forest, besides 13 lakh hectares of inferior forest. 

Chandra Babu gave a call to everybody to plant one crore saplings alone. We have to double the green cover by taking up plantation in four lakh acres per annum in the next 10 years. Chandra Babu said we have to grow 25-30 crore trees every year. Everyone breathing oxygen should grow a tree otherwise you can't be called a human being, Chandrababu said. Saplings planted would be geo-tagged while a geo-fencing would be provided to guard the plantation. Urban forests would be developed in all municipal corporations in the state, he added. Women self-help groups would be entrusted with the task of dibbling for growth of seedlings and they would be given 100 days of work every year for this under the MGNREGA, the Chief Minister announced. The state government would also establish a tree bank and come out with a white paper and an action plan for implementation of the Mission Harita AP. Ministers, public representatives, officials and others took part in the programme.