Raipur, Jul 24 (PTI) More than 46.76 lakh saplings were planted on the banks of 40 rivers under the "River Bank Tree Plantation" programme in Chhattisgarh in the last four years, to increase the green cover and prevent soil erosion, officials said on Monday.

Around 4,321 hectares of land along the banks of rivers have been covered so far under the programme, which was started in 2019, principal chief conservator of forests V Srinivasa Rao said in a statement.

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The plantation is being carried out under the programme using the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) and departmental funds, it said.

The programme has covered major rivers in the state including, Shivnath, Indravati, Mahanadi, Hasdeo, Agar, Kelo and Tandula.

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A total of 9.14 lakh saplings were planted on 831 hectare area under this drive in 2019, followed by 8.77 lakh on 845 hectare area in 2020, 17.87 lakh on 1,647 hectare area in 2021 and 11 lakh on 999 hectare in 2022, Rao said.

Employment of 9.63 lakh human days was generated through the plantation programme and residents of 372 villages directly benefited from works including farming and vegetable production under it, he said.

(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)