Latest News | South Eastern Coalfields to Invest Rs 168 Cr to Plant 26 Lakh Saplings in MP, Chhattisgarh over Next 5 Years

New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) As part of its green initiatives, state-owned South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) will invest Rs 168 crore to plant 26 lakh saplings in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, an official statement said.

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To carry out the plantation work, the miner recently signed two separate agreements with Chhattisgarh Rajya Van Vikas Nigam (CGRVVN) and Madhya Pradesh Rajya Van Vikas Nigam (MPRVVN), the coal ministry said.

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The plantation will be carried out for a period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28 with subsequent maintenance period of 4 years for each consecutive year of plantation. SECL will spend Rs 131.52 crore in Chhattisgarh and Rs 38.11 crore in Madhya Pradesh for plantation works, it said on Wednesday.

As per the agreements, the respective municipal bodies of the states will take up the plantation works on company's acquired/leased/purchased/transferred land under the expertise and supervision of experts.

Under the plantation exercise, various fruit-bearing trees, trees of timber value and medicinal/herbal plants like Neem, Amla, Karanj, etc. will be planted.

"In a bid to boost the green cover and conserve and enhance biodiversity, SECL is undertaking extensive plantation in and around its mining areas. In the financial year 2022-23 the company carried out the highest plantation in its history by planting more than 8 lakh saplings in an area of 365 hectares," the ministry said.

Based in Bilaspur, SECL with 67 blocks, is among the top three coal producing subsidiaries of Coal India Ltd (CIL) under the coal ministry. In FY23, CIL's output was 703.21 MT, of which SECL's contribution was 167 MT.

(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)