Green project: Plant saplings, get incentives

Awareness could reduce human-animal conflict

Additional Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Shivannegowda said that it has been decided to plant about two crore saplings in the State under Agro-Forestry Encouragement Project.

He was speaking at the ‘Vruksha Mahadasoha’, a programme to plant saplings, organised by the Federation of Karnataka State Voluntary Organisations, Sumangali Sevashrama, Bangalore, Agro-forests Farmers Association, Youth development charitable trust of Gundlupet, at Hasaguli village in Gundlupet taluk on Wednesday.

The farmers in need of plants should submit an affidavit and ‘pahani’ to the forest department and can avail saplings at discounted rate. Incentives of Rs 10 per sapling during the first year, Rs 15 for the second year and Rs 20 for the third year, will be provided to the farmers.

The project would be launched from the month of June, Shivanna said.
The agro-forest scheme has been started to reduce the burden on the department of forests.

Awareness would be created on the project to the farmers residing near National parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Plants are grown in agricultural lands and incentives are distributed to encourage the farmers. This would control the man-animal conflict, he opined.

S G Susheelamma, Secretary of State Voluntary Organisations’ Federation, who spoke on the occasion said that the federation had decided to plant one crore saplings under the project. About 3.50 lakh saplings would be planted in every district. The goal was to plant 350 saplings each in all the villages.

Ten lakh saplings would be grown in Hasaguli village and all the taluks would be covered under the project, she added.

Chief Conservator of Forests B K Singh said that this was the first time that the department of forests had taken up the project in association with the voluntary organisations.

MLA H S Mahadevaprasad inaugurated the programme. V S Kuber of the federation presided. Agro-Forestry farmers Association president A S Sadashivaiah, former president N Sampangi and others were present.