Himachal CM opens plantation drive by planting oak sapling

Shimla, July 30 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the 75th state-level ‘Van Mahotsav’ on Tuesday by planting an oak sapling at his official residence, Oak Over, here.He said the Forest Department has set a target to plant saplings on 9,000 hectares across the state.The Chief Minister also launched the beta testing of the e-forest software, a new initiative aimed at streamlining departmental operations and enhancing transparency within the Forest Department.He emphasised the importance of increasing the plantation of fruit trees in forest areas from 30 to 60 per cent, with anticipated positive outcomes within 10 years. He highlighted that the Forest Department and the Forest Corporation processed 15,000 salvage trees last year, generating substantial revenue from timber sales, which increased the state government’s royalty income from Rs 35 crore to Rs 70 crore in one and a half years.In the remote Lahaul-Spiti district, Mahila Mandals (women groups) have been engaged in plantation activities and forest conservation, generating revenue for these women’s groups.Underlining the state’s green initiatives, CM Sukhu said a 32 MW solar power plant at Pekhubela in the Una district has been established, while two more solar plants are expected to become operational in the next six months.Additionally, the government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Oil India Company for green hydrogen production, which would further propel the state towards its green energy state goal.–IANSvg/svn/