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New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 17, 2021, planted the 10 millionth sapling at the CRPF Training Center at Nanded, Maharashtra, under the ‘All India Tree Plantation Campaign-2021’ being run by the Central Armed Police Forces. Senior officers and Jawans of the force including the Director General, CRPF were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shah said that it is a matter of joy for him that a goal was fixed that all the forces would together plant 10 million trees and also make scientific arrangements to develop them. A Peepal tree has been planted here and we are fulfilling the target of 10 million. Our CAPFs have done the work of planting 10 million trees in more than 170 districts across the country. It is even more important that today is the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this goal has been fulfilled on this day.
Shah said that Narendra Modi was the first Chief Minister of the country after Independence who paid attention to Climate Change because at that time there were very few people in the world who paid attention to it. People used to build roads, buildings, arrange for drinking water, create structures for education, development took place in all areas, but when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he first created the Climate Change Department in the government. This was the first time in India that the government paid attention to Climate Change. He showed how there can be a governmental institutional mechanism for working on Climate Change. Today, on his birthday, we are planting the 10 millionth tree. Shah said that a nursery has also been set up here and keeping in mind the mortality rate of trees, arrangements have been made to replant them, according to a PIB release.
Shah said that the world is suffering due to indiscriminate development. Global warming and Climate Change have become two such threats, which are enemies of every nation. He said heavy rains, famines, landslides are now occurring in large numbers and their root cause is Climate Change. Global temperatures are increasing and the root cause is indiscriminate development and carbon emissions, the ozone layer is gradually becoming thinner and if we do not stop this process, then the global temperatures will increase to such an extent that it will be difficult to save human existence, he added.
Shah said that all these distortions can be stopped only by maintaining nature’s balance. He said nature and natural assets should be utilised and not exploited. He said that along with the pace of development, the concern of global warming and climate change will have to be included in the system itself and the easiest way is to reduce carbon emissions and to absorb the carbon emitted and the only way to do this is through trees. The number will have to be increased, only then oxygen be available and the ozone layer will be safe. Last year also a huge tree plantation drive was carried out under which the target was to plant 1.30 crore trees and CAPF Jawans had planted 1.47 crore trees and today the work of planting one crore trees has been completed.
Shah said that when this program was started, he had urged that more trees having a long life should be planted so that the Earth can benefit from this later on and as per his suggestion, more than 60 percent of the trees planted are those which can grow for more than 100 years.
The Home Minister said many may find it an exaggeration, but it is a reality that the internal security of the country cannot be imagined without the CRPF. He said that he and the nation are proud of the sacrifice and dedication of the CRPF personnel and their contribution in strengthening internal security.