Hyderabad: The Telangana government allocated Rs.1,471 crore for the Forest Department and state’s flagship program Haritha Haram in the budget for 2023-24.
Telangana finance minister T Harish Rao during his budget presentation speech in the state Legislative Assembly said that chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao firmly considers that it is the responsibility of every human being to protect the environment. “He introduced the ‘Telanganaku Haritha Haram’ on a large scale. It is no exaggeration to say that such a programme for planting trees and protecting them has not been taken up by any other government. The people of Telangana stood in full support of the chief minister’s commitment,” said Harish Rao.
The minister elaborated that in the new municipal and Panchayat acts, it is mandated that municipalities and Panchayats should allocate 10 percent of their annual budget to “green budget” and develop greenery. With the involvement of local bodies, there is abundant greenery in every village of Telangana, Harish Rao added.
He also explained that as per the India Forest Report 2021, prepared by the Forest Survey of India, Telangana’s green cover has increased by 7.70 per cent. “This is equivalent to 5.13 lakh acres. Haritha Haram has received recognition at the international level. The Food and Agriculture Organization, a constituent of United Nations Organization has described Hyderabad as ‘Tree City of the World’ twice. Hyderabad is the only city in the entire country to receive this recognition,” added the finance minister.
“The Sustainable Development Report brought out by NITI Aayog has placed Telangana in the first place on the basis of improvement in the greenery. The International Association of Horticultural Producers in South Korea has conferred ‘World Green City Award-2022’ to Hyderabad,” Harish Rao told the legislative assembly during his speech
The Telangana government by taking up afforestation has rejuvenated 13 lakh acres of forest land at a cost of Rs. 1500 crore, stated the finance minister. Fences have been erected with a length of 11,000 kilometers for the protection of forests. “As a result of the efforts taken by the state government to protect forests, there has been a significant increase in the number of wild animals. The number of tigers has increased to 26 and the number of leopards to 341. Many species of birds on the verge of extinction have regained their habitats,” Harish Rao said.
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