Green India Mission has chosen Bundi and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan for pilot projects to increase the forest cover of country to 33 percent
Both the districts posses a thick forest cover compared to other districts of the desert state, making them the potential holders for success of the mission, District Forest Officer (DFO) Rajendra Singh Nathawat said.
In Bundi, a grant of Rs 5.6 crore has been approved for execution of the project in Balwanpura and Talwas, which are among the 14 other landscapes apart from the Kotrada landscape in Udaipur which are selected for the project, Nathawat said, adding that the project will be implemented in four phases.
“Following survey and micro-planning of the areas and requirements of local people through interactive programmes, features of cattle and wildlife would be identified and facilities for better cattle breeding and their immunisation will be ensured,” he said. Villagers with fallow land will be encouraged for plantation as per ecological requirements under the project that is likely start next week, he said.
Meanwhile, state wildlife board member Rajpal Singh, holding that Bundi possesses vital ecological requirements for success of the mission, asserted that the move will also help develop the Ranthambore Tiger Corridor. “Forest cover was constantly coming down in the identified areas of Bundi and Udaipur districts. Plantation under Green India Mission would provide good habitat to wildlife,” he said.