Pawan Kalyan sets July 3 deadline for Andhra's Greening Society establishment

Set Up Greening Society in Andhra Pradesh by July 3, Directs Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Environment, Forest, and Science & Technology, K. Pawan Kalyan, has instructed officials to establish the proposed Greening Society by July 3. He emphasized that the initiative must strictly comply with the Presidential Order of 2025 in terms of rule implementation, appointments, and operational procedures.

During a review meeting with Forest Department officials on Thursday, Mr. Pawan Kalyan highlighted the importance of the Greening Society as a key measure to increase the State's green cover to 50%. He urged officials to prioritize the development of nurseries in every Gram Panchayat. Where this is unfeasible, he suggested creating common nurseries for clusters of three to four panchayats.

The Deputy CM pointed out that nursery cultivation is being integrated with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G). He directed officials to effectively utilize the funds and labour days available under this mission to scale up nursery development in rural areas.

As part of the State's afforestation and environmental protection efforts, the Forest Department informed Mr. Pawan Kalyan that 2.60 crore seed balls had been prepared for distribution during the monsoon season. The Deputy CM recommended involving the public in seed ball dispersal, stating that government employees alone could not achieve the initiative's ambitious goals. He also expressed satisfaction with the department's efforts to protect rare and endangered plant species.

Officials reported the identification of a highly rare and endangered bamboo species, Bambusa andhricum, with only 10 plants remaining along the Pamuleru stream in the Maredumilli forest region. The Deputy CM commended the department's efforts to conserve this species and cultivate Cycas seshachalamensis, a plant resembling a date palm found exclusively in the Seshachalam forests and nearing extinction.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Kanthilal Dande, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P.V. Chalapathi Rao, Forest Department advisor Mallikarjuna Rao, Chief Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry & Zoological Parks) B.N.N. Murthy, and Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) N. Nageswara Rao.