CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government would on Saturday celebrate 58th 'Van Mahotsava'  to bring awareness amongst the masses for the plantation of trees.

Disclosing this here Friday Tikshan Sood, Forest and Wild life Preservation Minister informed that Punjab had taken lead to promote financially viable and self-sustaining eco-tourism in the state with expertise from best model in the country. He also informed that the state government would ensure the maximum involvement of farmers in this scheme. He further said that to provide remunerative price of woods produce by the farmers, state government would revive wood based industry in a big way.

Sood reiterated his firm commitments to make Punjab an environment friendly state by constant increase of forest cover in the state with in next five years. The state had planned to plant 98 lac saplings this year under various schemes, said the Minister.

Talking about the concerted efforts of the state government he said that SAD-BJP government, for the first time in country, had declared 1568 acres of Panchayat land in villages Keshopur (Gurdaspur), Lalwan (Hoshiarpur) as two community reserves. In addition to this, the state government for protecting the interest of farming community would initiate a project of fencing of Wild life Sanctuaries to protect agricultural crops from damage by wild animals and 12 Kms boundary of Wild life Sanctuaries would be fenced this year costing Rs. 1 crore, he added further.

He further informed that the State Government was encouraging non-government organization (NGOs) by motivating and involving them in the afforestation works in the state. Four projects were being implemented by the NGOs with the funding from Government of India and nine more such projects had been sent to government of India and were in the pipeline, he added.