PESHAWAR:Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Home and Tribal Affairs Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abid Majeed chairing a meeting on Thursday directed authority concern to finalize arrangements for an extensive seasonal plantation drive across the province.
The meeting was held here at Civil Secretariat and attended by Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and police officials.
The ACS emphasized that all government departments and segments of society should involve in the plantation drive.
He instructed the departments concerned, divisional and district administrations, and the police to mobilize resources and take necessary steps for plantation in their respective jurisdictions.
Digital tools including apps and GPS would be utilized for timely and accurate reporting and monitoring of plantation activities under the Green Growth Strategy, he said.
On the occasion, meeting was informed that 1.733 million seedlings would be distributed to farmers free of cost. A total of 0.469 million
seedlings would be planted through mass planting events. A target of 0.346 million seedlings has been set for educational, religious, and other specified institutions.
Additionally, planting, sowing and dibbling would be carried out over an area of 64 acres in Central Southern Region-I, Hazara Forest Region-II and Malakand Forest Region-III. A total of 248,717 events will be organized for the plantation drive.
ACS reiterated the importance of this initiative and urged all stakeholders to actively participate to ensure its success.
It is worth mentioning that Green Growth Strategy includes an extensive plan to plant trees in schools, colleges, university campuses, judicial complexes, police station premises, industrial estates and roadside green belts.
Public participation would be encouraged and facilitated during the mass plantation drive. The seasonal plantation drive, scheduled for July, August, and September this year, will focus on planting 35 type of forest, 26 type of ornamental and seven type of f
ruit trees with a priority on fruit tree plantation.
The Forest Department would use 5.726 million seedlings in the drive while other departments would utilize 1.010 million seedlings through their own programs.