CM K Chandrasekhar Rao moots ‘green fund’ for tree plantation in Telangana

HYDERABAD: Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has proposed a novel ‘green fund’ for the success of Haritha Haram and for taking up the tree plantation programme continuously in the state. In this endeavour, he proposes to include every stakeholder like lawmakers, IAS and IPS officers, employees, students and traders.
Announcing this during a short discussion on Haritha Haram in the assembly on Friday, the CM said he had spoken to elected representatives, bureaucrats and government employees who have come forward to contribute some amount every month for the proposed green fund.“While elected MLAs, MLCs and MPs will contribute Rs 500 a month, IAS and IPS officers have come forward to contribute Rs 100,” KCR said.
State government employees have also expressed their readiness to contribute Rs 25 a month.
TRS Rajya Sabha MP J Santosh Kumar said he would contribute Rs 5,000 a month for the proposed fund. The CM also appealed to the lawmakers belonging to opposition parties to contribute to the fund.
KCR said 10% of funds from constituency development would go towards the green fund. He said there was a proposal to charge 0.1% on government contract works, which will be collected by R&B department and Rs 1,000 for all government licences and renewals. “I am proposing to collect Rs 1,000 during renewal of licences such as wine shops, Rs 50 per transaction during property registrations, collection of a nominal amount ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 100 during schools, colleges and university admissions. While the charges are Rs 5 for primary schools, it will be Rs 100 for professional college students,” the CM said.
He hoped the proposed green fund would be a role model to other states.
Claiming that Haritha Haram, which was taken up six years ago, was a huge success, the CM said of the total 130 crore saplings’ plantation target outside the forest areas, the government had completed 76 crore saplings’ plantation, including 14 crore in HMDA and GHMC limits. As against 100 crore saplings’ plantation within the forest areas, 60 crore saplings’ plantations had been completed. For the programme, the government had spent Rs 6,556 crore, he said.
On green development programme in gram panchayats and habitations, KCR claimed probably for the first time, every gram panchayat and habitation covering about 13,000 acres in 19,000 villages and habitations ‘Palle Prakruthi Vanalu’ were developed. Similarly, for promotion of greenery in mandals, ‘Bruhat Prakruthi Vanalu’ were developed with a variety of plants in 526 mandals. He said 109 urban parks were being developed in the city and surrounding areas.
Sharing his experience when he was Siddipet MLA in 1980s, KCR said he had to struggle to get 10,000 plants for Siddipet town. “While I was able to procure some from erstwhile HUDA, some saplings were brought from Kadiyam nursery. Now, every village has a nursery,” the CM said.