Raipur
Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai joined the World Forestry Day seminar organized in the committee room of the Legislative Assembly and gave the message of forest protection and promotion to the people. Addressing the seminar, Chief Minister Sai said that Chhattisgarh is providing oxygen to the whole of India by becoming ‘Oxigone’ of the country. He said that 44 percent of the state’s land is covered with forests, which is not only environmentally important, but also an integral part of our cultural and economic heritage.
Chief Minister Sai said that World Forestry Day of 2025 is based on the theme ‘Forest and Food’, which emphasizes that forests are not only oxygen, but also the sources of nutrition, employment and culture. On this occasion, the Chief Minister released the book ‘Wild Edible Plants in Chhattisgarh State’ and also launched Bastar Cashew Product of Mint-Mint Flavor.
Chief Minister Sai said that 32 percent of the population of Chhattisgarh is of tribal siblings who are deeply connected with forests. He said that our government is providing forest rights leases to tribal siblings residing in forests, so that they can become self-sufficient and move towards farming. He informed that hundreds of small forestants like Tamarind of Bastar, Mahua of Jashpur, Chironji, Harra-Bhera are the unique identity of Chhattisgarh, whose tribal families are being empowered financially.
Chief Minister Sai appreciated the natural beauty of Chhattisgarh and said that the waterfalls, forest dwellers and rich biodiversity are becoming the center of attraction for the whole country. Dhudaras of Bastar has now made a place on the World Tourism Map. The expansion of tourism is our priority. He also mentioned that about four crore trees have been planted in Chhattisgarh under the ‘Ek Trees Mother’s Name’ campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said that under the People for Peepal program in Nawa Raipur, Peepal has been planted at every intersection, which will become a strong source of pure oxygen in future. Peepal tree is scientifically the most oxygen -giving tree, and this initiative is an effective step towards urban greenery.
Addressing the seminar, the Speaker of the Assembly Dr. Raman Singh said that the forests of Chhattisgarh are counted among the most beautiful forests in the world. Year and teak trees are the natural beauty here. There is a unique hypnosis in the forests of the year and it is a matter of pride that the forest area in Chhattisgarh is continuously increasing. He said that as long as there are forests, there is life.
Forest and Climate Change Minister Kedar Kashyap said that the entire life of tribal communities of Chhattisgarh is based on forests. Raising his standard of living is the priority of our government. He said that today the whole world is struggling with challenges like global warming and climate change, and its most effective measure is the expansion of the forest area. He said that our tribal brothers and sisters have the empirical knowledge of nature-we can balance both development and protection by making proper use of it.
On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Saw, MLAs Dharamlal Kaushik, Dharmajit Singh, Yogeshwar Raju Sinha, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Forest Force Head. Srinivasa Rao and senior officials of the forest department were present.
