In a significant environmental initiative, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has directed personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including Assam Rifles and the National Security Guard (NSG), to geotag and number all the saplings they planted as part of a tree planting drive that commenced in 2020. The initiative spans across their campuses and neighborhoods nationwide.
Over the years 2020 to 2022, a staggering 3.55 crore saplings were planted by the personnel of various security forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Assam Rifles (AR), and National Security Guard (NSG). These forces collectively form the Central Armed Police Forces.
The BSF, serving as the nodal agency for this green initiative, has instructed that the saplings must be numbered, based on specific criteria like force name, year of plantation, and relevant headquarters details. The directive emphasizes the timely uploading of this information on the Government Land Information System (GLIS) portal.
A communication from the BSF to all CAPFs on December 26 emphasized the urgency of numbering the saplings and uploading the details on the GLIS portal within two to three days. The communication also requested a fortnightly progress report on the directives.
The Ministry’s annual report for 2022-23 highlights the substantial efforts of CAPFs, Assam Rifles, and NSG in undertaking organized mass-scale plantation drives in their campuses and places of deployment across 28 States and 6 Union Territories. This not only showcases their environmental concern but also their commitment to social causes.
As per the report, the CAPFs are committed to planting about one crore saplings annually over the next four years. The annual breakdown reveals that they planted 1.47 crore saplings in 2020, 1.07 crore in 2021, and 1.01 crore in 2022, with the figure for 2023 still pending. The initiative reflects a dedication to environmental conservation and community welfare by the security forces.
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