Lucknow: To honour armed forces and celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor, UP govt will establish at least one ‘Sindoor Van’ in every district.Plantation of these forests will be inaugurated on Aug 15 in a state-level programme organised in Lucknow.“These forests will be a part of Shaurya Van, which will be raised in every district on Aug 15 to mark the valour of the Indian defence forces,” a forest department official said, adding that villages of martyrs will be the preferred locations for plantation. After exceeding the plantation target of 37 crore saplings by planting 37.21 crore saplings in 12 hours on July 9, the govt has started raising thematic forests in districts, as was planned under Plantation 2025.Planting of Eklavya Van was launched by the forest department in a state-level programme in Pilibhit on July 19 and that of Oxy Van at Bareilly, a day later. Each of these plantations will be done on at least a hectare of land in every district during monsoon. Eklavya Van is UP’s tribute to the revolutionary tribal icon, Birsa Munda, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Varsha by the central govt. These forests will be planted in districts with significant tribal populations.Oxy Van will be developed as green lungs in cities. Every municipal corporation and nagar palika will have one such forest.Among other special forests that will be raised this year is Gopal Van. Its plantation will start from Mathura on July 27. Every ‘gaushala’ will have this forest, comprising fodder and shade-yielding species of trees. Inaugural plantation of Atal Van in Agra will begin from July 30, celebrating the birth centenary of Bharat Ratna and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In an event at Bateshwar Mahadev temple in Vajpayee’s ancestral village, Bateshwar in Agra, every divisional forest officer (DFO) will get a banyan sapling to plant in Atal Van in their districts.Inaugural plantation of Ekta Van will follow on July 31 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Home department will be extensively involved in planting Ekta Van as Sardar Patel was the first home minister of independent India.The Ek Ped Guru Ke Naam event on Sept 5 will mark the culmination of plantation drive.
