Agriculture Ministry Launches 'Matri Van' Initiative for Environmental Conservation

The Agriculture Ministry, led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, is initiating the 'Matri Van' (mother's forest) project as part of the global 'Plant4Mother' campaign. The initiative aims to plant 80 crore saplings by September 2024 and 140 crore by March 2025. This nationwide effort is part of a broader strategy to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability.

In a significant move to bolster environmental conservation, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Thursday that the ministry will create a 'Matri Van' (mother's forest) on roughly one acre of land.

This effort is part of the global 'Plant4Mother' campaign, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on World Environment Day.

Chouhan, along with Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur and ICAR Director General Himanshu Pathak, planted saplings at the Pusa campus in New Delhi. According to an official statement, approximately 800 institutions under the agriculture ministry have already planted between 3,000 to 4,000 saplings nationwide.

The 'Plant4Mother' campaign aims to plant 80 crore saplings across India by September 2024, with a target of 140 crore by March 2025.

Aligned with broader efforts to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability, the ministry has turned tree planting into a mass movement, heeding Prime Minister Modi's call to action.

(With inputs from agencies.)