India News | Gopal Rai to Chair Meeting on Annual Plantation Drive Next Tuesday

New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai will chair a meeting on the upcoming annual plantation drive with all departments concerned next Tuesday, officials said.

"Officials from the forest department, Delhi Development Authority, municipal corporations, education department, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, public works department, CPWD, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, environment department, Delhi Jal Board, Railways, etc, will be involved in the meeting," an official said.

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The Centre had given the Delhi government a target of planting 28 lakh saplings in 2021-22. Delhi ended up planting 35 lakh saplings, he said.

Rai also said Delhi is the number one city in the entire country in terms of per capita forest cover.

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According to the Forest Survey of India's latest report, Delhi's green cover has increased from 21.88 per cent to 23.06 per cent of its geographical area in the last two years.

Rai said the department has also decided to assess soil quality this year to improve the survival rate of saplings.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)