Nagpur’s Largest Tree-Planting Drive Launched by Governor to Combat Climate Challenges Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma inaugurated a month-long afforestation campaign on Saturday, aiming to plant 10 lakh saplings across Nagpur district by August 30. The initiative, described as one of the region’s most extensive coordinated greening efforts, seeks to expand the city’s green cover amid rising concerns over extreme weather events and urban heat. The campaign involves a collaboration between the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), district administration, zilla parishad, forest department, and the Green Foundation. The drive was launched at Lok Bhavan, the governor’s official residence, where Varma planted an orange sapling alongside Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, state minister Pankaj Bhoyar, Nagpur mayor Neeta Thakre, and other officials. The Lok Bhavan campus will host the planting of 10,000 trees during the campaign. Officials emphasized that the project’s focus extends beyond meeting targets, prioritizing the survival and maintenance of saplings through community participation. The initiative comes as Nagpur faces increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions, prompting officials to highlight the role of urban greening in climate adaptation. Native and long-living tree species will be planted to enhance biodiversity, improve groundwater recharge, reduce urban heat islands, and create sustainable green corridors. These species include banyan, peepal, neem, kadamba, arjun, jamun, mahua, amla, mango, palash, karanj, and others. Contributions to the campaign include 5 lakh saplings from the forest department, 1 lakh from the Raisoni Group, 50,000 from environmentalist Dr.#nagpur_municipal_corporation #nagpur_improvement_trust #nmc #maharashtra_governor #green_foundation
