The Green Highways Policy of India aims to enhance the environmental sustainability of our national highways by promoting large-scale tree planting. Let's delve into the details of how many trees have been planted under this policy and the progress made so far.
Introduced in 2015, the Green Highways Policy focuses on the plantation, transplantation, beautification, and maintenance of trees along national highways. This initiative is a part of India’s broader effort to improve environmental quality and mitigate climate change.
As of the latest update, a total of 402.28 lakh (4.02 million) saplings have been planted across the National Highways. This effort involves collaboration between various stakeholders and follows the guidelines set out by the Indian Road Congress (IRC) under the Green Highways Policy.
Here's a summary of the number of trees planted in key regions:
For a comprehensive view, the following table outlines the cumulative number of trees planted in each state from 2015-16 to 2023-24:
State Total Trees Planted (Lakh) Andhra Pradesh 20.01 Assam 7.71 Bihar 10.44 Chhattisgarh 8.11 Delhi 24.70 Gujarat 20.02 Haryana 20.27 Himachal Pradesh 3.00 Jammu & Kashmir 3.02 Jharkhand 8.12 Karnataka 25.32 Kerala 2.20 Madhya Pradesh 35.04 Maharashtra 36.19 Odisha 19.45 Punjab 18.52 Rajasthan 46.48 Tamil Nadu 21.67 Telangana 12.80 Uttar Pradesh 36.91 Uttarakhand 6.69 West Bengal 15.59 Grand Total 402.28
The government plans to continue this initiative over the next three years through an Annual Plantation Action Plan, ensuring that more trees are planted annually to maintain and enhance the green cover along national highways.
Currently, there is no specific plan to involve NGOs in nurturing these saplings to improve their survival rate. However, the policy's success depends significantly on maintaining and nurturing these trees.
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