The Himalayan state of Sikkim has come up with a unique initiative to make the state greener. The state government announced a new scheme in February 2023 called ‘Mero Rukh, Mero Santati’ (Plant a tree, leave a legacy), which mandates 100 trees to be planted for each childbirth that takes place in the state. According to the Sikkim Information Commission, Sikkim’s population is approximately 6.32 lakh. Given the average 8,000 child births annually in the state, the Sikkim government is targeting to plant around 8 lakh saplings during the special plantation drives to be held every year starting this monsoon. How Will it Be Implemented? The Forest Department of the state will be providing the saplings to the new parents and assisting them in planting those on their private land. For those who do not have their own spare land, saplings will be planted on a designated forest area or a community land. The parents will have to register with the ‘Mero Rukh, Mero Santati’ Cell of the Forest Department either through online mode via MRMS platform or forms that will be available at the nearest GVK (Gram Panchayat), BAC (Block Administration Centre) and Forest Range office. The plantation drive will be assisted by the ASHA, anganwadi workers, gram panchayats, urban local bodies and the frontline Forest Department staff. The plantation would take place in the months of June and July as it would not be possible to carry it during the dry season or winter. Chief Minister PS Tamang also pointed out that the registration for the childbirth plantation drive shall be made vital for procuring certificates like domicile certificates, employment cards, etc. There will also be convergence with other departments like Health and Family Welfare, Women and Child Welfare, and Rural Development to facilitate seamless service to the new parents. There have been 2,400 couples who have confirmed their participation in the MRMS scheme as of 25 May, with Namchi district having the highest enrollment at 724, followed by Gangtok district at 524, Soreng district at 309 and Mangan at 127. Monitoring the Initiative “The monitoring of the plantations shall be done by the officials of the subdivision and division level, that is, assistant conservator of forest and divisional forest officers, respectively. The parents of the newborn baby, along with the forest frontline staff of the respective jurisdiction, shall be looking after the saplings once they are planted,” said Udai Gurung, Additional Conservator of Forest, Sikkim. “The saplings shall be planted during the planting season, mostly from 7 to 14 July (observing the first week of July as ‘Santati Saptah’, as a part of the scheme) every year,” Gurung added. The GIS (Geographic Information Centre), a computer system that analyses and displays geographically referenced information, will be used to monitor the plantations as all the geo coordinates are pre-recorded prior to the plantation process. Being the first state in the world to be declared as a 100% organic state, this is another step by Sikkim to achieve its climate change resilient goal. “We not only revere our mountains, lakes, rivers, caves and springs, but venerate the landscape as sacred,” said Chief Minister Tamang, as quoted by PTI. “This initiative aims to reinforce this age-old bond of our society with nature. It aspires to co-create an ecosystem where both the tree and the child are able to reach towards the sun, a brighter tomorrow that promises vitality, health, and happiness,” he added.
28 Aug 2023
Lakshashree Pradhan
