Gandhinagar, July 13 (IANS) Gujarat has set an ambitious target of planting more than 5.51 crore saplings across 74,453 hectares during this year’s ‘Van Mahotsav’ campaign, while the state Forest Department also plans to distribute around 11.80 crore saplings through its network of 423 government nurseries to expand green cover and encourage public participation in afforestation. The plantation drive will be carried out under the state government’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 3.0’ initiative and the ann…
Latest Forest Department News & Updates
Gandhinagar, July 13 (IANS) The Gujarat government on Monday announced a series of safety measures, including a permanent wildlife check post, round-the-clock deployment of 25 forest trackers and thermal drone surveillance, following the fatal lion attack on an 11-year-old pilgrim on the Girnar hill pilgrimage route near Junagadh district. The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting of the Forest and Environment Department after Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed officials to take urge…
Bengaluru, July 13 (IANS) A leopard that has been repeatedly sighted in a residential area on the outskirts of Bengaluru has continued to evade capture for the fifth consecutive day on Monday, triggering fear among residents and drawing criticism of the Forest Department’s response.The leopard has been spotted in the Bharath Nagar residential locality in the Byadarahalli region on the city’s outskirts. Forest officials had placed a cage baited with chickens in an attempt to trap the animal. Howe…
Gorakhpur, July 12 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday launched the state-wide ‘Mega Tree Plantation Drive’ (Plantation Mahayagya) from Gorakhpur by planting a sapling under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign near the Gorakhpur Link Expressway along the Tal Ring Road near RKBK. Cabinet Minister Sanjay Nishad and Minister of State for Forest and Environment (Independent Charge) Arun Kumar Saxena were present alongside the Chief Minister during the launch of the large-scal…
Bhavnagar, July 11 (IANS) The Gujarat Police’s State Monitoring Cell on Saturday seized 4.306 kg of suspected ambergris, commonly known as whale vomit, valued at over Rs 4.30 crore, in Bhavnagar district and arrested four persons in connection with its alleged illegal possession and intended sale. The seizure was made during a raid conducted by the State Monitoring Cell in an open coastal area near Blue Sky Society in Budhel village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Vartej Police Station.Th…
Junagadh, July 11 (IANS) An 11-year-old boy was killed after being attacked by a lion near the new staircase route on Girnar hill in Gujarat’s Junagadh district on Saturday, prompting the Forest Department to close the route to devotees until further notice while an investigation continues. The victim, identified as Mayur Chauhan from Kheda district, was climbing Girnar with his family when the attack took place near the 50th step on the newly constructed staircase within the Girnar Wildlife San…
Gandhinagar, July 10 (IANS) Gujarat will expand its indigenous ‘Van Kavach’ afforestation model to cover 1,100 hectares during 2026-27, with more than half of the new plantations concentrated in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency as part of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Green Lok Sabha initiative, according to the state Forest Department. The programme includes the development of Gujarat’s largest “Maha Van Kavach,” spanning over 100 hectares in Godhavi village near Ahmedabad.Under the wid…
Kalpetta, July 10 (IANS) The death toll in the Wayanad tunnel road mudslide rose to seven on Friday after rescue teams recovered one more body from the debris, while the search continued for the lone remaining missing person amid difficult weather and treacherous terrain.The victim’s body was recovered during an intensive search operation involving personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Rescue Services, police, Forest Department and local volunteers.Excavators and oth…
Belagavi (Karnataka), July 9 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday announced that the state government has decided to allocate Rs 1 crore to every rural Assembly constituency to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply in view of the prevailing rainfall deficit.Addressing a press conference after chairing the Belagavi Division Progress Review Meeting at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, the Chief Minister said the government is taking proactive measures to tackle the em…
Bhuj, July 9 (IANS) Gujarat has recorded a significant milestone in its efforts to conserve the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), with a chick born under the state’s ‘Jump Start’ conservation project at Naliya in Kutch district completing the first 40 days of its life. The chick, which hatched on May 21 under the second phase of the ‘Jump Start’ project, has survived what wildlife experts consider the most vulnerable period of its early life.The achievement marks an important ste…