Har Gaon Haryali: Remarkable step for sustainable development, climate justice

Srinagar, Mar 1: Sustainable development is an approach towards development and growth by using resources in a way that allows them to renew or continue to exist for future generations.
In this context, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has launched remarkable initiative ‘Har Gaon Haryali’ program in consonance with the vision of ‘Green Jammu and Kashmir’ drive 2021 to ensure sustainable development and promote climate justice across the Union Territory.
The Green Jammu and Kashmir drive itself is in commensuration with the National Forest Policy 1988 and the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Policy 2011 which envisages afforestation on all degraded and denuded lands in the union territory within and outside forests.
Spelling out broad contours of this initiative, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, remarked that the ‘Green Jammu and Kashmir‘ campaign aims at creating people’s movement at a massive scale with involvement of all stakeholders particularly village panchayats, women, students, Urban Local bodies, NGOs and civil society.
“Our aim is to bring two third geographical area of Jammu and Kashmir under the forest and tree cover. The forest and tree cover in Jammu and Kashmir is about 55 percent, which is substantially higher than the national average of 24.56 percent” Lieutenant Governor maintined.
The J&K Government also initiated ‘Har Gaon Haryali’ campaign in November 2021. Under this campaign, forest and sister departments were vested with the responsibility to cover all the village panchayats and planting of one crore saplings.
With an aim to realize the objectives and target set under Har Gaon Haryali campaign the Social Forestry department is laying emphasis on providing hybrid clonal plants to farmers from its modern nurseries, so that farmer’s income can be supplemented and sustained supply of raw materials to wood based industries can be ensured.
In addition, the department is organizing such programs with multiple activities in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir to provide impetus to J&K Green drive initiative with participation of local communities. The department has apprised the people in general and farmers in particular to avail the supply of plants from departmental nurseries to take up agro-forestry activities on their lands.
Furthermore, in a bid to celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ in collaboration with the School Education Department, the Social Forestry department is also involving schools in afforestation and awareness activities. The students being important stakeholders in sustainable development, their adequate sensitization would go a longer way in achieving the long-term objective of the programme.
This campaign is strenuously laden with the potential and propensity to act as breakwaters against the unbridled trend and temperament of environmental pollution. This in turn, will help in reversing the progression of climate change and help in promotion of concept of climate justice. It also envisaged addition to the already existing strength and resources of the farmers thus helping in realization of objective of doubling the income of farmers in the long run.
Importantly, if the participation of all stakeholders at the grassroots level is ensured and taken in its intended direction, the campaign will help in reducing carbon footprints. With this campaign, India will be able to fulfill its global obligations regarding climate change and in the long run will help in realizing the sustainable development goals like end poverty in all its forms everywhere, end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages, make human settlements and cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, ensure sustainable consumption and production patters, take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss among others.
More significantly, if this campaign is taken in its right perspective, it will help in maintaining ecological balance and consequently will help in the preservation of fragile ecology and rich biodiversity of the Himalayan landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.