Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Saturday that state budget, for the first time, will include measures to bridge the ecological deficit and directed forest officials to conduct annual assessment of the loss of ecology.
Speaking at a function to mark Forest Martyrs' Day, the chief minister said people have paid with their lives to protect the forests and remembered P Srinivas, who was murdered by forest brigand Veerappan.
He said justice can be done to the sacrifices of martyrs only by protecting ecology and increasing the forest cover. "Karnataka's forest cover is 21 per cent (of total area). About 30-40 years ago, it was 30 to 40 per cent. I am giving a mandate to Forest and Environment Department to make annual assessment of loss of our natural resource assets and total deficit. For first time, I will introduce a budget that will have a provision to fill the ecological deficit," he said.
Noting that the "forest is surviving because our ancestors saved it for us", he said the present generation has a duty to hand it over to their successors.
"The younger generation is not taught about the crucial need to conserve forests and wildlife. We have become inhuman due to our indifference. The pace of degradation of forests has increased in the last 20 years. We have to adopt a sustainable lifestyle based on needs," he said.
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Published 11 September 2021, 17:23 IST