<p> The state government has given the Forest Department a bigger responsibility this year. <br /><br />Apart from undertaking plantation drives, thrust has also been laid on creating more solar powered pumpsets in forest patches to overcome the water crisis and mitigate man-animal conflict. <br /><br />The government has shown interest in protecting the forest patches in urban areas by developing them into tree parks and constructing boundaries around them. The state government has announced the creation of 50 tree parks in forest lands and name them after noted environmentalist Salumarada Thimakka.<br /><br />Green mantra<br /><br />Raising six lakh sandalwood saplings<br />Development of 700 hectares of sandalwood plantations instead of eucalyptus in Chikkaballapur and Kolar<br />Raising six crore quality saplings for Vanamahotsava<br />Surviving saplings incentive raised to Rs 100 under Krishi Aranya Prothsaha Yojane<br />Roadside plantations along 4,720 km under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme<br />Establishment of Poornachandra Tejaswi Prathishtana for research at a cost of Rs 5 crore <br />Forest Research Centre on Bengaluru-Mysuru Road at a cost of Rs 5 crore<br />solar powered pumpsets to fill 100 water bodies in forests<br /></p>
<p> The state government has given the Forest Department a bigger responsibility this year. <br /><br />Apart from undertaking plantation drives, thrust has also been laid on creating more solar powered pumpsets in forest patches to overcome the water crisis and mitigate man-animal conflict. <br /><br />The government has shown interest in protecting the forest patches in urban areas by developing them into tree parks and constructing boundaries around them. The state government has announced the creation of 50 tree parks in forest lands and name them after noted environmentalist Salumarada Thimakka.<br /><br />Green mantra<br /><br />Raising six lakh sandalwood saplings<br />Development of 700 hectares of sandalwood plantations instead of eucalyptus in Chikkaballapur and Kolar<br />Raising six crore quality saplings for Vanamahotsava<br />Surviving saplings incentive raised to Rs 100 under Krishi Aranya Prothsaha Yojane<br />Roadside plantations along 4,720 km under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme<br />Establishment of Poornachandra Tejaswi Prathishtana for research at a cost of Rs 5 crore <br />Forest Research Centre on Bengaluru-Mysuru Road at a cost of Rs 5 crore<br />solar powered pumpsets to fill 100 water bodies in forests<br /></p>
