The Chief Minister planted a Rudraksh sapling in the state during the state-wide plantation programme on the theme ‘Celebrate Harela festival in the state, repay the debt of mother earth’. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami while participating in the state-wide plantation program organized on the theme “Celebrate Harela Festival, repay the debt of Mother Earth” at Gorkha Military Inter College campus, Dehradun on the auspicious occasion of Lok Parva Harela of Uttarakhand on Wednesday extended warm greetings and best wishes to the people of the state on the occasion of Harela Parva. He planted a sapling on the occasion. Harela is a festival of our culture and consciousness
The Chief Minister said that Harela is not just a festival but a deep emotion associated with the culture, nature and consciousness of Uttarakhand, which reminds us of our responsibilities towards the environment. He said that a target has been set to plant about 5 lakh saplings on the day of Harela festival. The Chief Minister said that a target has been set to plant 50 per cent fruit bearing saplings in each division of the Forest Department. He said that the government is taking the cooperation of public participation, voluntary organizations, students, women groups and panchayats in this campaign. Becoming a tree is the true success of planting. Chief Minister Dhami said that we have to ensure that the planted saplings are taken care of regularly till they take the form of a tree.
He said that Uttarakhand is a state rich in natural beauty and biodiversity, which we all have a moral duty to protect. A new dimension to environmental protection under the leadership of the Prime Minister Referring to the campaigns like ‘Panchamrit Sankalp’, ‘Net Zero Emission’, ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ and ‘Ek Vridh Maa Ke Naam’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister said that the state government is also working imbibing the same values. He informed that a target has been set to plant 108 crore saplings across the country this year. Take concrete steps to conserve water sources. Th. the formation of The Chief Minister said that the Spring and River Rejuvenation Authority (SRRA) has been set up to protect the environment in the state. Th. ) has been formed. So far, more than 6,500 water sources have been conserved and 3.12 million cubic metres of rainwater has been harvested. He said that a complete ban has been imposed on single-use plastic in the state and dustbins have been made mandatory in vehicles.
The Chief Minister called upon the people of the state to plant a sapling on special occasions of their life and take care of it so that environment conservation could be made a mass movement. Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi and Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal were also present on the occasion. Agriculture Minister Shri Ganesh Joshi said that the tradition of planting trees after Harela Pujan in the month of Shravan in Uttarakhand has been going on for centuries, which is a testimony to our cultural consciousness and environmental responsibility. The Harela festival teaches us that protecting nature is not just an obligation, but a sacred duty. Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said that Lok Parv Harela is being celebrated at 2,389 places in the state. He said that in the last three years, the survival rate of the saplings planted on Harela festival has been more than 80 percent.
He described the declining water level as a matter of serious concern and said that for this we have to make continuous efforts for plantation and conservation of water streams. On this occasion, Deputy Commissioner Dharam Pal Gupta, SSP Harjit Singh, Additional DC (general) Roohi Dugg, SDM Sandeep Kumar, Assistant Commissioner Dr. Karamjit Singh, Civil Surgeon Dr. Jugal Kishore, SP Sukhdev Singh, ACS Dr. Jyoti Kaushal, Dr. Parvesh, DSP Rajesh Chhibbar among various others were also present. Department of Information and Public Relations