Nagar Van Yojana (NVY): -
The Nagar Van scheme aims at creation of 'city forests' in urban cities having a Municipal Corporation over a period of five years. The primary objective is to create a forested area within the city, to protect the forest land from further degradation and encroachments and provide a healthy and wholesome living environment for the residents of the city.
The State of Jharkhand embarked on the journey of establishing Urban Green Lungs through Nagar Van Yojana in the year 2022-23. Starting with six Projects under six Municipal Corporations and total project cost of Rs. 538.01 lakh, the State Forest Development Agency is currently implementing 30 Nagar Van Projects in 13 Forest Divisions and 13 districts.
Vacant government lands, particularly forest lands, which are surrounded by an urban landscape are prone to encroachment. Keeping this in mind, one of the principal objectives of implementing this scheme in the State was to save precious government forest lands from encroachment, apart from providing urban citizens a clean, green and aesthetic breathing space and affording them some moments of relief and peace from the hectic and tense city life. In the course of implementing this scheme, despite problems from land mafia sponsored opposition, more than 22.00 acres of encroachment on forest land was removed in a few projects.
The initial six Nagar Van Projects are reaching a stage of completion. The activities undertaken in these projects relate to fencing, soil and moisture conservation and plantation and maintenance. To attract footfall, public amenities like benches, gazebos, nature trails, ponds, etc., have been established. Implementing Agencies are also approaching Urban Level Bodies, State Pollution Control Board and Business and Civil Society to secure their cooperation for undertaking various other activities like establishment of Smriti Vriksha, Smriti Van, public conveniences, drinking water facilities, etc.
Work on 24 new Nagar Van Projects is underway and the activities being implemented in these projects from Nagar Van Yojana funds and other sources are based on the same principle as mentioned in the preceding paragraph.
The State has also forwarded 20 new Nagar Van Projects in 10 districts with a total project cost of Rs. 1433.16 lakh to GoI for consideration and sanction for the same is awaited.
School Nursery Yojana (SNY): -
The School Nursery Yojna aims to provide an environment for the students to understand and appreciate the significance of plants in maintaining and sustaining the natural ecosystem. The underlying principle of the scheme is to 'Plant and Grow seedlings' wherein students of each school are required to raise 1000 seedlings by ‘Doing and Learning’. By such active participation & involvement children, who are the future generation, are attempted to be sensitized towards protecting our environment and biology by creating a boundary between students and plants in order to immaculate a habit of caring of nature.
47 School Nursery projects across 27 Divisions in Jharkhand are being implemented at a total project cost of Rs. 44.30 lakhs. The seedlings raised by students have been planted in school campuses, taken by children to plant in their home (particularly fruit bearing species like papaya, jackfruit etc.,) for meeting fruit consumption needs of their families. Plants have also been distributed by them in the local area of their town and gifted to guests visiting schools.
The scheme has been very successful in Jharkhand in involving school children in raising nursery, cutting & grafting techniques, preparation of herbarium and appropriate techniques of plantation. The students have shown great enthusiasm in implementing the scheme and many schools have raised as much as six to seven thousand seedlings against their target of 1000 seedlings. Some schools have expressed their desire to be enlisted again in the coming years also and new schools are coming forward to submit their proposals. Encouraged by the schemes, schools have proposed 17 new projects to this office which have been submitted to GoI for consideration in the FY 2024-25.