Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has officially inaugurated 25 crore tree plantation programmes across the country to protect the environment and tackle the adverse impacts of climate change.
He launched the big programme on Saturday afternoon by planting a roaring tree sapling in the Malumghat protected forest in Dulahazara area of PMkhali in Cox’s Bazar.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintu, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, cabinet members, members of parliament and senior officials of the local administration were present at the inauguration ceremony. During this time, they planted a total of eleven types of trees of different species.
According to government sources, one of the BNP’s election promises in the recently concluded 13th parliamentary election was to plant 25 crore trees across the country in five years. The program has been launched as part of the implementation of this promise.
The aim of the project, implemented under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is to increase the amount of forests, preserve biodiversity, reduce carbon emissions and increase the capacity of the country to combat the risk of climate change.
The government said that in the first phase of the programme, about one and a half crore saplings will be planted in 149 upazilas of the country’s 49th district. In the next phase, massive tree plantation activities will be carried out in various forests, coastal areas, educational institutions, government lands and populated areas of the country.
According to experts, if the programme is implemented in a planned manner, it will play an important role in maintaining the balance of the environment, expanding deforestation and building a climate tolerant Bangladesh.