Punjab Government launches special campaign for planting fruit trees on panchayati land

Punjab Government launches special campaign for planting fruit trees on panchayati land

Mohinder Bhagat and Tarunpreet Singh Sond jointly launch ‘Apna Pind – Apna Bagh’ campaign to promote horticulture

Fruit orchards to be planted on 65 acres of panchayati land in 9 districts in the first phase

Chandigarh, August 21(WISHAVWARTA):-Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government has launched a special drive to plant fruit orchards on village panchayati lands to promote horticulture and encourage crop diversification across the state. With this objective, Horticulture, Defence Services Welfare and Freedom Fighters Minister Shri Mohinder Bhagat and Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Shri Tarunpreet Singh Sond jointly launched the ‘Apna Pind – Apna Bagh’ campaign today at Chandigarh. The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with the Horticulture Department and the Rural Development and Panchayats Department.

Launching the campaign, Horticulture Minister Shri Mohinder Bhagat said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann envisions a ‘Rangla Punjab’ and a ‘Hara Bhara Punjab’, and today’s initiative is a concrete step towards realizing that vision. He informed that the orchards planted under this project will be maintained under MGNREGA for the first three years, thereby providing additional employment to workers. After three years, the orchards will be handed over to village panchayats, and the income generated will be utilized for the development of villages. He added that fruit processing from these orchards will also enhance the earnings of self-help groups.

The Minister further said that in the first phase, fruit orchards will be planted on 65 acres of panchayati land in nine districts. These include 5 acres in Gurdaspur, 22 acres in Hoshiarpur, 2.5 acres in Jalandhar, 5 acres in Ludhiana, 15 acres in Pathankot, 2 acres in Amritsar, 4 acres in Kapurthala, 6 acres in Bathinda, and 4 acres in Malerkotla. On this occasion, Minister Bhagat also released a booklet on the campaign.
He further informed that panchayats may pass a resolution and approach the government to establish orchards on their village panchayati lands.

Speaking on the occasion, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Shri Tarunpreet Singh Sond said that earlier canal water was not being fully utilized in the state, but under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Water Resources Department is now ensuring its proper use for irrigation. He said that this remarkable initiative of the Punjab Government will boost horticulture in villages and also help conserve underground water. He further stated that the project will contribute towards mitigating global warming. Shri Sond appealed to village panchayats to come forward to plant fruit orchards on panchayati lands to strengthen the rural economy and make villages greener.

On this occasion, Secretary Rural Development and Panchayats Shri Ajit Balaji Joshi, Agriculture Commissioner Ms. Babita, Director Horticulture Ms. Shailender Kaur, Director Rural Development and Panchayats Shri Uma Shankar Gupta, Joint Development Commissioner-cum-MGNREGA Commissioner Dr. Shena Aggarwal, Chief Conservator Shri Mohinder Singh Saini and other senior Officers were present.
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