CM Revanth at Vana Mahotsavam: Plant two saplings each at home, set target for 18 crore saplings

The event took place at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) in Hyderabad on Monday.

Two saplings in every home

To ensure that greenery is propagated and celebrated, people were asked to plant two saplings in their homes. CM Revanth said, “The older generations had a popular saying that the forest ecosystem and our lives are dependent on each other.”

Telangana forest, environment and endowments minister Konda Surekha, who also attended the event, said, “The Vana Mahotsavam program is to promote environmental awareness and collective responsibility. Our tradition teaches us that those who protect trees will, in turn, be protected by them – as the ancient saying goes, ‘Vriksho Rakshati Rakshitah’. Planting and nurturing trees is deeply rooted in Indian culture.”

Finding suitable land for planting

The Vana Mahotsavam program will be implemented in a structured, target-driven and well-coordinated manner, said Konda Surekha. She instructed the Forest Department and allied departments to identify suitable lands well in advance, with a particular focus on using the monsoon season effectively for mass plantation drives.

The minister said that even the post plantation care will be followed up in the same way. Regular watering, protection measures and survival rate monitoring have to be ensured so that the saplings thrive and contribute to the environment in the long term, said Konda Surekha.

Not a one-day event

Konda Surekha urged the people of Telangana not to look at Vana Mahotsavam as a one-day event, but it must be a conscious effort to take care of the ‘green zone’ around them.

‘60 party tickets to women in next polls’

CM Revanth said that the Congress party will take the responsibility of giving 60 party tickets to women in the next Assembly elections.

He said, “The women’s quota in legislative bodies will be in force in the next elections.”

Listing out the women empowerment schemes, including the responsibility of setting up solar plants and running government schools for girls, the CM said that the government provided Rs 21,000 crore loans to women groups this year.

The chief minister also highlighted that the State government is providing free RTC bus travel to women and encouraged them to rent out a fleet of 1,000 buses from the RTC and become owners. He said that the women’s groups have also been provided facilities to market their products at Hi-Tech City, where multinational companies are located.

One crore women millionaires

The Telangana government has set a target of making one crore women millionaires, CM Revanth Reddy said and added that women SHGs will be formed in the urban areas.

“The government is making every effort to empower women in all fields and ensure women lead a decent life with self-respect,” he said.