India’s Forest Cover Increased by 1% in the Last 5 Years

Mumbai: Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar has said that India’s forest cover increased by 1% in the last 5 years and that similar progress will be possible in the coming five years through people’s participation. He said that when compared with the amount of oxygen we consume in a lifetime, all of us must plant and help grow at least 10 trees; he said it is the way forward for environment protection.

The Minister said this during an interaction with the media, after planting three saplings in the premises of Gulshan Mahal, the historic building in Films Division that houses a part of NMIC, as part of the celebration of World Environment Day yesterday.

Film personalities Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, Shyam Benegal, Kiran Shantaram, Varsha Usgaonkar and others were present on the occasion. The Minister expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all artists for coming together and joining the movement.

The Minister had launched a people’s campaign #SelfiewithSapling on Environment Day eve, urging everyone to plant a sapling and to post the selfie with the sapling on social media. On Environment Day, Shri Javadekar planted saplings in the premises of Environment Ministry in New Delhi along with the Minister of State in the Environment Ministry Shri Babul Supriyo, renowned cricketer Shri Kapil Dev, Bollywood actors Shri Jackie Shroff and Shri Randeep Hooda and noted singer Smt. Malini Awasthi.

This is Shri Javadekar’s first official visit to Mumbai, after taking charge as a Cabinet Minister in the second term of the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

On the occasion, the Minister undertook his first visit to the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC), Films Division, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on January 19, 2019.

Shri Javadekar also interacted with around 100 film personalities. Shyam Benegal, Subhash Ghai, Ramesh Sippy, Ketan Mehta, Jabbar Patel, Kiran Shantaram, Shilpa Shetty, Satish Kaushik, Sidharth Roy Kapur, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Divya Dutta, Poonam Dhillon, Sajid Nadiadwala were among those present.

Secretary, I&B, Shri Amit Khare; Director General (West Zone), Ministry of I&B, Shri R. N. Mishra; Joint Secretary (Films), M/o I&B, Shri Ashok Kumar R. Parmar; Director General, Films Division, Shri Prashant Pathrabe; and ADG (Western Region), M/o I&B, Shri D. J. Narain were also present on the occasion.

Source: Press Information Bureau

Image Courtesy: Sharad Vats/India Wildlife Safaris