CMs green concept a success in North Andhra

Visakhapatnam: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s concept of raising nurseries in the schools has become a success in north coastal Andhra districts. Territorial and Social Forestry officials headed by APCCF N Prateep Kumar convened a series of prelude meetings to chalk out an action plan to realise the green concept of the Chief Minister in north coastal Andhra districts.

Later, a plan of raising school nurseries was finalised by the APCCF after overcoming many hurdles-majority of schools are not having compound walls, some schools without water facility, some others having limited water supply, while some schools not even have minimum space to raise the nursery.

When contacted, APCCF Prateep Kumar sharing his experiences in fulfilling the mega green concept of the Chief Minister told The Hans India on Tuesday that the idea was well received by school children and heads. He said the new concept has a three-fold effect as it ensures sanitation in school toilets as water will be used for nurseries, helps inculcate the culture of raising plantation among children and generates employment.

The State government has given a target of covering 15,000 schools to the Forest Department in the State for raising nurseries under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). He informed that Vana Sevaks deployed to look after only nurseries were earlier given Rs 3,700 each per month which was now increased to Rs 7,800 per month as they are now expected to take up sanitation too in schools.

Prateep Kumar informed that of the total target of raising 200 lakh nursery plants given to Vizag district alone, the Narsipatnam Territorial Forestry (TF) wing has fulfilled its target of raising 15,000 saplings in 150 schools, Paderu TF 30,000 saplings in 132 schools, Vizag TF 20,000 saplings in 150 schools and the Vizag Social Forestry (SF) wing 1,35,000 saplings in 458 schools.

He said that Viziangaram district too fulfilled its target of 100 lakh saplings with its TF raising 20 lakh in 290 schools and Social Forestry 80 lakh saplings in 229 schools. Though, the TF wing of Srikakulam has fulfilled its target of 20 lakh saplings in 152 schools, its SF wing has only fulfilled raising 10 lakh saplings out of its total target of 130 lakh supposed to be raised in 193 schools.

Thus, the entire north coastal Andhra districts were given a target of raising 4.5 crore plants to be raised in 1,754 schools and the nurseries will be ready for plantation by June-July. Where the schools have no compound walls, he said it was decided to grow bio-fencing by planting saplings like Henna or Duranta, which was introduced for the first time in the State, he added.

Referring to other important social issue they faced in the implementation of the green concept, Prateep Kumar revealed wherever Vana Sevaks are not willing to maintain sanitation in schools, they were asked to get the work done by others with the same wages only. To a question, he informed that wages will be given to Vana Sevaks after obtaining a certificate every month from the school HMs stating that sanitation work was done.