Latest news with #Banyan
India Gazette
3 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
JP Nadda plants sapling under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' on World Environment Day
New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): BJP National President and Union Health Minister JP Nadda planted a sapling at Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative on World Environment Day on Thursday. 'Today, on World Environment Day, I planted a sapling at @MoHFW_INDIA, Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi, as a gesture of gratitude towards Mother Nature under the #EkPedMaaKeNaam initiative launched by Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji,' Nadda said in a post on X. 'I encourage everyone to join this movement and take meaningful steps towards a greener future. With the call of 'One Nation One Mission: End Plastic Pollution,' let us all pledge to reduce plastic waste and protect our environment for generations to come,' he added. Meanwhile, on World Environment Day, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that 280 electric buses will be added to the city's fleet by 2027 as part of a new electric vehicle (EV) policy. Speaking to ANI, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the Delhi government plans to add 280 electric buses by 2027. 'We have decided to give 280 electric buses to Delhi. By 2027, the whole fleet of buses provided by the Delhi government will be electric. We are also bringing in a new EV policy,' she said. CM Gupta praised the new buses, calling them a tremendous asset for Delhi and highlighting their high comfort level and security features. She said, 'These buses are a tremendous asset for Delhi. This is a highly comfortable bus. Cameras and a panic button have been installed inside the bus. The buses have a low floor and are air-conditioned.' CM Gupta criticised previous governments, saying, 'The previous governments never paid much attention to the environment. Delhi was deprived of the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign under the last government. Our target is to plant 70 lakh trees this year.' Meanwhile, Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav praised the central government's efforts to curb vehicular pollution through smart EV and hydrogen buses. He said, 'The Central government is regularly working on the problem of vehicular pollution... This new campaign for smart EV and hydrogen buses is a huge step in this direction.' He noted, 'Under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, around 109 crore people planted nearly 140 crore trees yesterday.' Yadav also highlighted PM Modi's symbolic tree plantings in recent years and called the gift of electric buses a step toward purifying Delhi's air. Regarding the tree-planting campaign, Yadav noted, 'Under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, around 109 crore people planted nearly 140 crore trees yesterday. This year, PM Modi planted a Banyan sapling. Last year, he planted a Peepal sapling. His gift of electric buses to Delhi will surely work to purify the air in Delhi.' Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off 200 electric buses under the Delhi government's sustainable transport initiative. He also planted a tree under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative. Delhi LG VK Saxena, CM Rekha Gupta, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Delhi Cabinet minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa are also present. (ANI)
India Gazette
7 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
World Environment Day: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta announces 280 electric buses
New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): On World Environment Day, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that 280 electric buses will be added to the city's fleet by 2027 as part of a new electric vehicle (EV) policy. Speaking to ANI, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the Delhi government plans to add 280 electric buses by 2027. 'We have decided to give 280 electric buses to Delhi. By 2027, the whole fleet of buses provided by the Delhi government will be electric. We are also bringing in a new EV policy,' she said. CM Gupta praised the new buses, calling them a tremendous asset for Delhi and highlighting their high comfort level and security features. She said, 'These buses are a tremendous asset for Delhi. This is a highly comfortable bus. Cameras and a panic button have been installed inside the bus. The buses have a low floor and are air-conditioned.' CM Gupta criticised previous governments, saying, 'The previous governments never paid much attention to the environment. Delhi was deprived of the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign under the last government. Our target is to plant 70 lakh trees this year.' Meanwhile, Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav praised the central government's efforts to curb vehicular pollution through smart EV and hydrogen buses. He said, 'The Central government is regularly working on the problem of vehicular pollution... This new campaign for smart EV and hydrogen buses is a huge step in this direction.' He noted, 'Under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, around 109 crore people planted nearly 140 crore trees yesterday.' Yadav also highlighted PM Modi's symbolic tree plantings in recent years and called the gift of electric buses a step toward purifying Delhi's air. Regarding the tree-planting campaign, Yadav noted, 'Under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, around 109 crore people planted nearly 140 crore trees yesterday. This year, PM Modi planted a Banyan sapling. Last year he planted a Peepal sapling. His gift of electric buses to Delhi will surely work to purify the air in Delhi.' Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off 200 electric buses under the Delhi government's sustainable transport initiative. He also planted a tree under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative. Delhi LG VK Saxena, CM Rekha Gupta, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Delhi Cabinet minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa are also present. (ANI)
Economist
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Economist
The mystery of China's missing military
Chinese military folks have never been great communicators. For most of the 15 years that Banyan reported from Beijing, the only way to seek comment from the defence ministry was to send a fax. A response would often come weeks later, if at all. The regular news conferences that it launched in 2011 are still dominated by scripted questions from state media. People's Liberation Army personnel must have special permission to speak with foreigners. And those who do are often professional 'barbarian handlers' specially trained to manage contacts with outsiders—and reveal as little as possible about the PLA.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Aravalli Green Wall project: Haryana set to kick off efforts to revive 25,000 hectares of degraded forest areas
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Centre's Aravalli Green Wall project on Thursday, the state government in Haryana will kick off efforts to restore 25,000 hectares of degraded forest area. The Aravalli Range has long been hailed as the 'lungs' of the National Capital Region (NCR). On Thursday, the Prime Minister 'will lead a special tree plantation initiative at Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in Delhi at 10:15 am, reaffirming India's commitment to environmental stewardship and green mobility' to mark World Environment Day, according to a statement from the PMO. 'The PM will plant a Banyan sapling under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative. This will be part of the 'Aravalli Green Wall project' which aims to reforest the 700-km Aravalli range,' read the statement. In Haryana, a total of 24,990.16 hectares of Recorded First Area (RFA) land will be targeted for treatment in the first phase of the project. While 3,852.73 hectares of land will be targeted in Faridabad, a total of 6,063.73 hectares of land will be targeted in Gurgaon. Gurgaon Divisional Forest Officer Raj Kumar told The Indian Express that intensive restorative plantation efforts in the district will begin soon. 'With Thursday's launch, the project in Haryana will also be kicked off. Proper plantation towards intensively restoring the degraded forest areas is most conducive during the monsoons, which is when our efforts will truly begin on priority,' he asserted. The Aravalli range encompasses five other districts in Haryana: Nuh, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Mahendergarh, and Charkhi Dadri. The Aravalli range and buffer zones account for 3.11 lakh hectares (38.7%) of the total geographical area of these districts (8.05 lakh hectares). Nuh has the largest area under RFA with 14,606 hectares. Meanwhile, Charkhi Dadri is not being covered in the current phase due to a negligible recorded forest area (28 hectares), said officials. 'Site conditions in Haryana vary significantly, with patches having hilly terrain with high degradation and sparse vegetation requiring both SMC [soil and moisture conservation] work and plantations. For the treatment area, the state has proposed a restoration model for the rehabilitation of degraded areas, beginning with soil and moisture conservation efforts in the first year. Restoration will involve plantation, soil moisture conservation, check dams, percolation ponds, and seed sowing,' reads the government document titled 'Detailed Action Plan – Aravalli Landscape Restoration'. The Indian Express on Wednesday reported that Delhi CM Rekha Gupta will join the PM for planting a tree in the Capital's Ridge area as part of the launch. The Rs 16,053-crore project aims to create a buffer zone of 5 km around the mountain range, covering 6.45 million hectares. It is slated to help in meeting India's key climate goals of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through improving tree and forest cover. Extending from Southwest Gujarat in Champaner to Northeast Delhi and Haryana, the Aravalli range acts as a natural barrier against incursion of sand, loo, and dust from the Thar desert.
United News of India
a day ago
- Health
- United News of India
PM to launch mega ‘Aravalli Green Wall project' on June 5
New Delhi, June 4 (UNI) India will kick start its ambitious Aravalli Green Wall Project on World Environment Day on June 5 in a bid to give a new lease of life to one of the oldest mountains of the world ie Aravalli range which is facing rapid degradation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the project by planting a Banyan sapling under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign at Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in the national capital, a step to prevent desertification and land degradation caused by global warming. On the occasion, the Prime Minister will also flag off 200 electric buses under Delhi Government's sustainable transport initiative, promoting clean urban mobility and symbolizing the nation's collective responsibility towards ecological balance, said a statement here. Aiming to create a 400 km long and 5 km wide green corridor covering states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi, India had introduced the Aravalli Green Wall project at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh in 2019. The Union Environment Ministry had released the project's action plan in March. The project envisages boostING biodiversity of the Aravalli Hill Region and is a major initiative to spread green cover in the 5 km buffer area around the Range in 29 districts of the four states, according to the statement. Besides, reforestation and afforestation and rejuvenation of water bodies, the project aims to improve the soil fertility, water availability and climate resilience of the region. The project will also benefit the local communities by providing them with employment and income generation opportunities. In the initial phase, 75 water bodies will be rejuvenated, starting with five waterbodies each in every district of Aravalli landscape, said an official from the Ministry. The plan is inspired by Africa's 'Great Green Wall' project, running from Senegal (West) to Djibouti (East), which came into effect in 2007. Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign encourages people to plant a tree as a symbol of love, respect, and honour for their mothers, while also pledging to protect trees and the Earth. UNI AJ SSP
