Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today wished the people of the state on the occasion of World Forest Day.
The CM fondly recalled the successful implementation of the Telanganaku Haritha Haram program - one of the state's flagship programs, launched by the TRS government in 2015 to increase tree cover in Telangana from 24% to 33%.
He said Telangana stood first among the other states in the country with regard to reviving green cover lost to anthropocentric activities through its intensive tree planting efforts, and thanked all those who had participated in the state's plantation drives.
Forest and Environment Minister A Indrakaran Reddy also conveyed his wishes to the people, and said, "Our state has been committed to reviving and protecting forest areas and green cover. We have to continue to safeguard nature and our state's natural resources as this will enable us to protect the floral and faunal diversity found here."
The minister then urged the people to contribute to the government's re-greening efforts by planting saplings to mark the occasion, and added, "Today is the right day to redefine our relationship with nature. Since nature protects us, we must also work to safeguard it. It is the responsibility of each and every person to plant saplings and to do their part for the environment."
"Our CM has turned Telangana into a green haven by implementing several phases of the Haritha Haram program. We have been able to increase the state's green cover from 24% to 30%. Now we must push this figure up to 33%. It is crucial to continuously work to protect our environment through tree plantation as this will not only ensure a stable hydrological cycle but will also go a long way in reducing soil erosion, and the effect of air pollution in our state," he said.
The pink party has done much to push up forest cover in Telangana. Just last month, it had organised a
massive tree-plantation drive to celebrate the 67th birth anniversary of the CM. As many as 1 crore saplings were planted across the state.