Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday asked public representatives to encourage farmers to undertake large-scale tree plantation on the boundaries of their fields, saying doing so will help them receive benefits under the carbon credit scheme.
Addressing a meeting of gram pradhans, mayors, district panchayat chairpersons through video conferencing amid the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” tree plantation campaign, the chief minister said that farmers in seven divisions of the state are set to receive about Rs 42 lakh as carbon credit this year.
While the month-long “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” plantation drive began on Saturday, the UP government has set a target of record plantation of 37 crore saplings in a single day on July 9.
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, the chief minister said that under the carbon credit system, farmers will receive $5 after the survey.
According to the CM, Rs 32.80 lakh was paid to farmers as carbon credit last year, and this year, farmers in Devipatan, Ayodhya, Jhansi, Mirzapur, Kanpur, Varanasi and Aligarh divisions are set to get Rs 42.20 lakh. He also said that under the program, moringa or sahjan plant saplings are being distributed to malnourished families.
Claiming that in the eight years of his government, the forest cover in the state has increased from 9 per cent to 10 per cent, the CM said that UP ranks second in India in terms of green cover growth. “From 2017 to 2024, UP has seen an increase of 5 lakh acres in green cover. And from 2017 to 2023, there has been an increase of 3.38 lakh acres in green cover,” the CM told the public representatives.
Urging public representatives to undertake the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign as a public movement and spreading awareness, he stressed the importance of everyone participating in the plantation campaign “to ensure a better environment for future generations”. He also asked public representatives to undertake the tree plantation drive along rivers, ponds, and in urban parks and open spaces. This year’s plantation drive is expected to be the biggest to date, with involvement of 25 crore citizens.
