Chittoor district targets 50% green cover by 2047 under Mission Haritha Andhra Pradesh

Chittoor district has set a target of achieving 50% green cover by 2047 under the State government’s flagship Mission Haritha Andhra Pradesh initiative, District Collector Sumit Kumar said on Wednesday.

Addressing a meeting on inter-ministerial coordination and community engagement, the Collector noted that the region currently has 34% green cover and emphasized the need for sustained efforts to bridge this gap. He urged the authorities to initiate comprehensive afforestation efforts by combining Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and Artificial Regeneration (AR) methods to restore degraded forest lands and expand greenery in low-density areas.

Mr. Sumit Kumar said that afforestation activities will be concentrated in areas of national and State highways, rural roads, canals, tank embankments and railway banks, as well as revenue wastelands, corporate lands and tank banks. He directed all concerned departments on effective utilization of MGNREGS funds for large-scale plantation works and emphasized the importance of real-time monitoring through mobile applications, geo-tagging and satellite-based data.

Emphasizing the importance of sapling maintenance and regular field inspections by forest and rural development officials, the collector said, “The planting work will not only support environmental restoration but also create livelihood opportunities for hundreds of families across the region.”

Promoting environmental stewardship among youth, Mr. Sumit Kumar encouraged students to start planting trees from a young age. He said top priority should be given to implementation of Tree Outside Forest (TOF) and Agroforestry policies to enhance green cover with fruit-bearing and multi-purpose tree species and ensure farmer participation beyond reserve forest areas.