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The project, pegged at `16,053 crore, aims to create a buffer zone of 5 km around the mountain range, covering 6.45 million hectares (Express File)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Centre’s Aravalli Green Wall project, on June 5 to mark World Environment Day, to combat desertification and restore degraded land across four states, Environment Ministry sources said Tuesday.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will join the PM for planting a tree in Delhi’s ridge area, the sources said. The Chief Ministers of Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat will also plant trees in their respective states, sources said.
The land restoration project was initially launched in 2023, and the Ministry launched a detailed action plan for the project recently.
While the land restoration project was initially launched in 2023, a detailed action plan for the project was launched recently. The project, pegged at `16,053 crore, aims to create a buffer zone of 5 km around the mountain range, covering 6.45 million hectares.
Ministry sources said the project would also contribute in meeting India’s key climate goals of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through improving tree and forest cover. India has also committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
Extending from southwest Gujarat in Champaner to northeast Delhi and Haryana, the 700-km long Aravalli mountain range acts as a natural barrier against incursion of sand and dust from the Thar desert. It supports rivers such as Luni, Banas, Sabarmati among others, as well as keystone wildlife such as tiger, bears, wolves and leopards. However, the range is facing widespread degradation due to deforestation, mining, urbanisation, agriculture practices and development.