The Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme (PVDPS) which was launched by Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar three months ago, is now moving ahead with sloth gait. A much-appreciated scheme is waiting for the attention and zeal of bureaucrats to get the requisite frame of work in place.
WHAT IS PVDPS?
Chief Minister Khattar said on World Environment Day, “The state government has taken an initiative to honor all those trees which are of the age of 75 years and above and have served humanity throughout their life by producing oxygen, reducing pollution, providing shade, and so on. Such trees will be identified throughout the state and these will be looked after by involving local people in this scheme”.
For maintenance of trees older than 75 years, a “pension amount” of Rs 2,500 would be given per year in the name of PVDPS. This ‘tree pension’ shall continue to increase every year, on lines similar to the Old Age Samman Pension Scheme in the state.
“The pension shall be given by the Urban Local Bodies department for the upkeep of the trees, installing plates, grilles, etc.”
According to state government officials, at least 2,500 such trees have been identified so far. The Forest Department had commissioned a survey to identify these old trees. Village panchayats will now be paid Rs 2,500 as ‘pension’ per tree for their upkeep.
But it has been three months since the conception of the scheme yet No one in State is yet provided with the pension. V.S Tanwar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest of Haryana told The Daily Guardian, “We are making rules in this regard. It will take 1-2 months then we’ll distribute the pension”.
Along with the pension scheme, there was one more initiative that caught limelight i.e. Oxygen Forest which means that the Department would plant Oxy Forests on land ranging from 5 acres to 100 acres in the cities of Haryana and as many as 3 crore trees would be planted.”
The Oxy Vans will occupy 10 per cent of the 8 lakh hectares of land across Haryana. “Oxy Van, Panchkula, will be established in Bir Ghaggar over an area of 100 acres to create Mother Nature’s green lungs so that residents of Panchkula can breathe in fresh oxygen. Total cost of project shall be Rs 1 crore,” the government said.
Oxy Van, Karnal, shall come up along the Old Badshahi Canal (also known as Mughal Canal), on an area of 80 acres, covering a total length of 4.2 km.