Itanagar selected for ‘Nagar Van’ scheme

File photo of lockdown in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
File photo of Itanagar

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on August 17 informed that state capital Itanagar has been selected for implementation of the ‘Nagar Van’ (urban forest) scheme of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Attending a meeting of the Union ministry chaired by EFCC Minister Prakash Javadekar through video conferencing on August 17, Khandu informed that as there are only two urban cities in the state – Itanagar and Pasighat – the state capital has been selected for implementation of the scheme this year.

He said that the Department of Environment and Forest has already earmarked the land measuring about 20 hectares for creation of an ‘urban forest’.

Khandu, who is also the minister in-charge of Environment & Forest, informed Javadekar that the Union ministry’s ‘Nagar Van’ scheme would be dovetailed with the ‘Smart City project’ so that the objective of the scheme is achieved in toto.

‘Nagar Van’ is a scheme being launched by the MoEFCC that envisages to create forests in 200 urban cities across the country on public-private-partnership basis. The ministry would offer an initial grant of Rs 2 crore for fencing, maintenance and administrative costs of the earmarked land to be developed.

Giving details of the action taken by the state government in implementation of various central government schemes regarding environment and forest, Khandu said that 100 schools across the state are being identified for the scheme ‘school nursery’.

Under the scheme students would grow their own trees in a chosen place within the school premises and care for it and at the end of year they would take the sapling and plant it in their own premises.

The Union ministry plans to cover 1000 schools this year with a target of covering 5000 schools by the year 2024-25.

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