Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma participated in a symbolic tree plantation programme at Chandubi under the aegis of the Department of Environment and Forest on June 8 wherein he said that the State will go for a record 1 crore sapling plantation on October 2 to commemorate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. He said that this initiative will be a Jan Andolan of sorts as advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of Mission LIFE.
Governor of Assam Gulab Chand Kataria, his wife Anita Kataria, and many Cabinet ministers of the State also planted saplings in the programme.
Dr Sarma said that the plantation on October 2 will be an antidote to climate change, expand the tree economy of the State and result in a 2% increase in forest cover in Assam from 36% to 38% by 2028. He said that for every tree planted on October 2, the State Government will pay ₹ 300 each in two instalments: ₹ 100 during the plantation while ₹ 200 after two years of the plantation.
Later, the Chief Minister unveiled a book each about natural farming and one on rare and threatened plant species.
