Summary:
Pune: The social forestry department will be gifting 10 saplings of fruit-bearing trees and manure to farmers on the birth of girl children in their families. A monitoring system entailing mapping of trees and a computerised repository of names and number of trees would help track the efficacy of the project. The state government intends to plant 13 crore saplings under this initiative.A pilot, carried out with mango and jackfruit in the Vidarbha region, was a success. The idea is that years later, the earnings from the sale of fruits will help fund the girls’ education as well as various wedding expenses.A senior forest officer said the scheme was initiated under the Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana. A family that is blessed with a girl child between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, can submit an application to the gram panchayat, following which they will be given 10 saplings, free of cost.“The drive will also help in increasing the green cover,” added the forest official..