The Central Government has started the plantation campaign 2020 of the Ministry of Coal. India is moving towards 0 imports of coal for the purpose of realizing PM’s dream. This Vriksharopan Abhiyan has been launched by the Union Ministry of Coal on 23 July 2020 on the anniversary of Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak and Chandrashekhar Azad. Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the Ministry of Coal for planting trees at more than 130 locations spread across 38 districts of 10 coal / lignan bearing states.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated the massive plantation drive organized by NLC India Limited (NLCIL) through video conferencing at Mines II in Neyveli.
He inaugurated large scale planting of 1,15,000 plants at 14 NLCIL project locations across the country. He also opened an eco park.
The Union Home Minister has also laid the foundation stone for 6 EcoParks / Tourist destinations. According to official reports, crude coal production has increased from 565 MT in 2013-14 to 729 MT in 2019-20. About 32000 people were involved in the virtual launch program of the plantation campaign from 160 places. More than 300 dignitaries including MPs, MLAs and state government officials actually attended the event.
Vriksharopan Abhiyan 2020: Key Features
- As part of the campaign, Amit Shah inaugurated and inaugurated six eco-parks and tourist destinations.
- The campaign is being organized by the Ministry of Coal which includes all coal and ignite PSUs. Under this, plantation will be done on a large scale in colonies, offices and mines and in other suitable areas of coal and ignite PSUs.
- Seeds will be distributed by the society as part of the campaign to promote tree plantation.
- Eco-parks inaugurated by the Home Minister will pave the way for adventure living, water sports, recreation, bird watching etc. for the people living in the surrounding areas. It can also be integrated to form part of the tourism circuit.
- Under the campaign, the sites are planned to generate revenue for self-sufficiency and create employment opportunities for the people.
Ministry of Coal Initiative for Ease of Doing Business and Automotive India
The Vrikshasan campaign is one of the initiatives of the Ministry of Coal. The Coal Ministry has taken several other initiatives in the direction of “Ease of Doing Business” and “Atmanbir Bharat” under the leadership of PM Modi. In pursuit of the Atmanabir Bharat campaign, India is moving towards zero coal imports. The central government has set an ambitious target of producing 1 billion tonnes (annual) of coal by 2023-24. Coal PSUs and captive miners have also taken steps to increase production, while investing Rs. 1.25 lakh crore is envisaged under the Infrastructure Investment Scheme during the period 2020-24 for which 534 projects have been identified.
Implementation of Vriksharopan Abhiyan 2020
For conservation and protection of environment, 6 lakh saplings are being planted on 600 acres in 38 districts of 10 states. An additional 5 lakh saplings will be distributed to the local people on this occasion. The total cost involved in the 5 eco-parks and 1 year plantation project was Rs. 27.60 crores.
All India crude coal production has increased from 565 MT in 2013-14 to 729 MT in 2019-20. Coal India Limited has set an ambitious target to achieve 1 Bt of coal production in 2023-24 which will be important in reducing the demand-supply gap. SCCL, NLCIL and other captive players are also set to increase and contribute to increased domestic coal supply.
Commercial coal mining inaugurated
Commercial coal mining is an important step towards the Atmanbir Bharat campaign. It aims to make India self-reliant and globally competitive. With the opening up of the coal sector, global players will get the latest technology and investment and India will get more close with the global players. By FY 2019-20, the coal and lignite PSUs have planted 157 million plants, restoring a total area of about 25000 hectares. The coal and lignite PSUs plan to spend Rs. 50 crores on the construction of new eco-parks, expansion of existing eco-parks and other tourist destinations at 15 locations across the country by the financial year 2023-24.
Eco-Park / Tourist Details
In Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, 2 newly developed eco-parks have been inaugurated at the inauguration ceremony of the plantation drive. The eco park in Jharkhand, named Parasnath Udhayan, is developed by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of CIL and is spread over 3.5 hectares. IT consists of jogging tracks, flower gardens, resting benches, green tunnel as well as aquatic eco-system and garbage area. The Eco Park in Tamil Nadu is developed by NLC India Limited and is spread over 15 acres and includes boating, resting place, dense cover, bird watching zone etc. The lake has more than 250 species of fish and birds of various kinds. There will be other attractions of this eco park.
The three eco-parks for which the foundation stone was laid, the eco-park in Uttar Pradesh is to be developed by CIL subsidiary Northern Coalfields Limited, Odisha’s Lilari Eco-Park, which is being developed by CIL subsidiary Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) and Eco-Park. Will be developed Jharkhand is to be developed by CIL subsidiary Central Coalfields Limited (CCL). The foundation stone was also laid for a one-year plantation project in Odisha to be developed by NLC (India) Limited.