In a bid to make Assam a green state, the state government is planning to undertake a massive statewide plantation drive. Towards that end, the Assam Government aims to plant 1 crore saplings on September 17 this year. And this project has been named Amrit Brikkha Andolan.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the web portal for the Amrit Brikkha Andolan on Wednesday. He also launched a mobile app for the same. Citizens across the state will be able to use the app and portal to get more details regarding the initiative. They can also register themselves to take part in the same. The chief minister also launched another web portal towards the registration of wood-based industries in the state. A theme song for the initiative was also released by the chief minister during the same event.
The state government has selected several varieties of commercially viable trees for this initiative. And all of them are local plants which grow quite easily in the region. Some of the trees selected by the government are Hollong, Bogipoma, Mahogany, Gamari, Ghora Neem and Sal. All these trees have high commercial demand in the market. These selected plants widely come under three categories namely timber, plywood and medicinal plants.
There are various categories available for selection on the portal. Apart from individuals, a host of organisations including educational institutions, self-help groups, village defence parties, Anganwadi and tea gardens can also register themselves. After entering the key details, including proof of identity, one can select the pickup point suitable for them.
These people can then take geo-tagged photographs of the planted sapling and upload them through the portal or app. Once verified, the citizens will receive Rs 100 per planted sapling in their account. And if they can successfully save the plant for the coming three years, they will receive an additional Rs 200 in their accounts. This way, the government has encouraged public not only to plant the saplings but also to protect these plants in the long run. Another salient feature of the Amrit Brikkha Andolan is that once these trees mature, the owner won’t need to take permission from the forest department to cut them.
