Forest Minister Eshwara Khandre speaking at a public meeting in Kalaburagi on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
The Forest Department has set a target of planting 28 lakh saplings in five districts of Kalyana Karnataka region with the aim of increasing the forest and tree cover area in the region, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre has announced.
He was speaking at the launching of “Hasiru Patha-Karnataka” and “Hasiru Hejje-Kalaburagi” programmes under Vanamahotsava-2025 in Kalaburagi city on Saturday.
Mr. Khandre said that the Kalyana Karnataka region has less than 5% forest cover; to increase the green cover in the region the Forest Department has launched a massive plantation drive with a target of planting 28 lakh saplings, which includes seven lakh young trees, in five districts of Kalaburagi, Bidar, Raichur, Yadgir, and Koppal.
He explained that reduction of forest cover drives climate change and further contributes to global warming and alters weather patterns, so tree plantation initiatives are crucial for raising environment awareness and combating issues like deforestation, soil erosion, floods and droughts; so the department has launched “Manegondu Mara, Urigondu Vana” [One tree for every home, one forest for every Village] programme for conducting awareness campaigns to encourage people about tree plantation.
The Forest Department had planted 8.5 crore saplings in the State in the last two years and this year the department has set a target to plant three crore saplings across the State, Mr. Khandre highlighting that the post-plantation maintenance is crucial for tree survival, said that each saplings will be geo-tagged with a survey number which will be monitored by third-party private agency.
The Minister said that efforts are underway to establish wildlife sanctuaries, parks, zoos in Kalaburagi district, and the department was planning to develop an eco-tourism park in Chandrampalli in Chincholi taluk.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge, legislators B.R. Patil, M.Y. Patil, Allamprabhu Patil, Thippannappa Kamaknoor and Jagdev Guttedar were present.
Published – July 05, 2025 07:29 pm IST
