The Forest Department will provide six lakh saplings to be planted across the state as part of the massive global afforestation drive launched by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM), Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced here on Monday.
The Chief Minister was formally inaugurating the initiative at the Cliff House by planting the first of the 60 lakh saplings that the Math intends to plant around the world in a year.
Six lakh of these saplings will be planted in Kerala and the saplings for the purpose will be provided by the Forest Department.
“The first 1.75 lakh saplings will be handed over immediately and around 50,000 will be provided every month with the aim of meeting the target for Kerala by next June,” Chandy said.
The afforestation campaign is among a number of initiatives rolled out by the Math as part of the 60th birthday celebrations of Mata Amritanandamayi.
“Environment protection and conservation is one of the most important services we can do for the society,” Chandy said.
“It is laudable that the Math has undertaken such a project on the occasion of Amma’s 60th birthday”.
Sivamrita Chaitanya of Kaimanam Ashram, Tapasyamrita Chaitanya of Amritapuri Ashram, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B S Korri and Assistant Conservator of Forests Jayakumar Sharma were present.
The afforestation drive will also be conducted abroad by Amma’s other devotee-run organisations, collectively known as ‘Embracing the World’.
As a member of the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign, MAM had already assisted in the planting of more than one-million trees since 2001.