Bhubaneswar: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) Convergence Committee Saturday gave its nod to forestry projects worth Rs 602 crore proposed by state forest department for financial year 2020-21.
Massive plantation drives, development of nurseries, soil moisture conservation works, digging of trench around forests, forest road construction and other works are usually carried out by utilising MGNREGS funds. Forest road repairs were included for the first time, a department official informed.
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Under the revised plan for FY21, the forest department plans to carry out plantation in around 40,000 hectares of land as well as 5,000 row kilometers of avenue plantations. Besides, it plans to distribute about 3.5 crore saplings among the denizens. Out of this, plantation has already been carried out in 17,340-hectare area and 2,687 row kilometre of avenue plantation has already been done. As many as 58 lakh saplings have been distributed as of August 15 this year, the department said.
Funds to the tune of Rs 65 crore have already been utilised and 35 lakh man-days have been generated during FY 2020-21 till August 15.
Apart from restoration of forests, ecosystem and biodiversity, employment generation opportunities under MGNREGS would help a large number of returnee migrant workers amid COVID-19 outbreak, forest and environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha said.
PNN