Kupwara: Director Social Forestry Department, J&K, Roshan Jaggi Monday said that the department was going for a massive plantation drive across Kashmir during winter and as part of the ‘Green J&K Drive’, it would plant upto 10.70 lakh saplings.
Speaking to media persons during his visit to various parts of Kupwara, he said that 1.30 lakh sapling would be distributed among the farmers, Army, paramilitary forces and different educational institutions.
Jaggi said that the farmers and other stakeholders should actively participate and take advantage of this initiative of the department.
“Natural forests and plantations raised by afforestation not only boosts the tourism sector, but also plays a role in generating livelihood avenues and employment for the people,” he said.
Jaggi said that during the current fiscal year, the department was looking forward to planting almost three times more plants in village panchayats compared to the previous year.
“The department has constituted Panchayat Level Plantation Committees in all 4289 Panchayats to seek cooperation and involvement of local people in identification of land, plantation activities and its future management,” he said.
Jaggi sought full cooperation from the public representatives so that the plantation drive could be a success.
He held a series of meetings with Sarpanchs, Block Development Council (BDC) chairpersons and District Development Council (DDC) members during which he apprised them about different useful schemes being run by the department for the welfare of the people.