Nagpur: A tree plantation programme was organised at the “Rare, Endangered and Threatened Species Botanical Garden” (RET Park) in Mauje Rui (Khairi) within the Butibori Forest Range of Nagpur Forest Division by Maharashtra’s Revenue Minister and District Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday.The programme was a collaborative effort between Nagpur Forest Division, Maharashtra Compensatory Afforestation Fund Project, and Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board, Nagpur. It formed part of the “Green Maharashtra, Prosperous Maharashtra” initiative launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, which aims to plant around 10 crore trees in Maharashtra, alongside the central government’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign.During Tuesday’s plantation event, over 70 rare, endangered, and threatened plant species were planted across 4.50 hectares of the garden. Each plant featured digital labels with QR codes that provided access to scientific information, including the plant’s scientific name, conservation status, ecological role, and traditional uses. Additionally, books such as ‘Junglachi Duniya’, ‘Nisarga-Vachan’, and ‘Jungle Trees of Central India’ were made available in the garden.Bawankule declared that all district-level govt departments have been directed to establish departmental nurseries on plots of 1 to 2 acres. He emphasized the need for adequate planning and public participation to achieve future targets, advocating for tree nurturing to become a national movement. He also instructed forest officials to develop more RET gardens in the district.The programme was attended by Hingna MLA Sameer Meghe, who spoke on afforestation and forest conservation. Senior forest officials present included Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) Shomita Biswas, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Conservation), MS Reddy, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Administration), Rishikesh Ranjan, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Executive Officer CAMPA Praveen Chavan, Conservator of Forests Nagpur Circle Shrilakshmi A. Deputy Conservator of Forests Nagpur Forest Division Dr Vinita Vyas, Member Secretary Maharashtra Biodiversity Board Dr Bharatsingh Hada, and Deputy Conservator of Forests Maharashtra Compensatory Afforestation Fund Poonam Pate.Numerous school and college students from the Butibori area, along with voluntary organisations, NGOs, and villagers from Mauje Rui (Khairi), participated actively in the tree plantation. Participants recorded their activities using the ‘Selfie with Tree’ and ‘Amrit Vriksha’ apps.The programme was conducted with active participation of Pramod Wade, Priyadarshan Babhale, and subordinate forest staff. The vote of thanks was delivered by Assistant Conservator of Forests Manoj Dhanvijay.
