Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced the implementation of the "Mukhyamantri Vriksh Sampada Yojana" in the state with the aim of promoting commercial tree plantation.

The Forest Department has started preparing for the implementation of the scheme, and preparations are in full swing. So far, more than 19,000 beneficiaries have registered for tree plantation on their private land, covering approximately 30,000 acres.

CM Bhupesh Baghel has announced the scheme to promote the commercial use of trees in the state, seeing the immense potential for increasing income through this initiative. Under this scheme, with the consent of the farmers, commercial tree plantation will be carried out on their land to increase their income.

According to information received from the Forest Department, registration has been done under the the scheme on 30,142 acres of private land belonging to 19,653 beneficiaries in the state so far. The highest registration has been done in Jagdalpur forest division, where 4,730 acres of land belonging to 1,999 beneficiaries have been registered. Similarly, in Balrampur forest division, 2,119 acres of land belonging to 2,358 beneficiaries, in Dantewada 1,543 acres of land belonging to 623 beneficiaries, in Sukma 1,336 acres of land belonging to 795 beneficiaries, and in Korea 1,189 acres of land belonging to 746 beneficiaries have been registered.

In Surguja, 1,142 acres of land belonging to 1,046 beneficiaries, in Durg 1,098 acres of land belonging to 316 beneficiaries, in Korba 1,072 acres of land belonging to 983 beneficiaries, in Manendragarh 1,057 acres of land belonging to 729 beneficiaries, in Purva Bhantapapapur 1,038 acres of land belonging to 1,126 beneficiaries, in Bijapur 1,034 acres of land belonging to 514 beneficiaries, in Surajpur 1,024 acres of land belonging to 825 beneficiaries, and in Dharamjaigarh 963 acres of land belonging to 461 beneficiaries have been registered.

In Kondagaon, 956 acres of land belonging to 754 beneficiaries, in Jashpur 861 acres of land belonging to 657 beneficiaries, in Narayanpur 765 acres of land belonging to 314 beneficiaries, in Keshkal 726 acres of land belonging to 618 beneficiaries, in Dhamtari 705 acres of land belonging to 518 beneficiaries, in Marwahi 694 acres of land belonging to 475 beneficiaries, and in Mahasamund 643 acres of land belonging to 456 beneficiaries have been registered.

Similarly, in Bhanupratappur, registration has been done for 506 beneficiaries over 573 acres, in Katghora for 473 beneficiaries over 572 acres, in Rajnandgaon for 325 beneficiaries over 541 acres, in Kanker for 300 beneficiaries over 514 acres, and in Raigarh for 358 beneficiaries over 478 acres. In Bilaspur, registration has been done for 239 beneficiaries over 460 acres, in Gariaband for 301 beneficiaries over 424 acres, in Baloda Bazar for 134 beneficiaries over 367 acres, in Mungeli for 194 beneficiaries over 356 acres, in Balod for 213 beneficiaries over 342 acres, in Koriya for 78 beneficiaries over 247 acres, and in Kawardha for 118 beneficiaries over 213 acres. In addition to this, registration has been done for 177 acres of land for 84 beneficiaries under Jagdalpur Research and Expansion, 109 acres of land for 76 beneficiaries under Jangir-Champa, 56 acres of land for 30 beneficiaries under Bilaspur Research and Expansion, 16 acres of land for 10 beneficiaries under Raipur, and 2 acres of land for one beneficiary under Raipur Research and Expansion.

In this regard, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief of Forest Force Shri Sanjay Shukla said that under the Mukhyamantri Vriksha Sampada Yojana, 12 types of trees will be planted in 30,000 acres of land in the state this year. This includes the plantation of Clonal Eucalyptus on 17, 182 acres, Rootshoot Teak on 6, 456 acres, Tissue culture on 2, 617 acres, Sandalwood on 1, 462 acres, Melia dubia on 834 acres, Normal bamboo on 737 acres, tissue culture bamboo on 607 acres, Red Sandalwood in 126 acres, Amla in 43 acres, Khamar in 40 acres, Indian Rosewood (Shisham) in 20 acres and Mahaneem in 20 acres.

Under the scheme, all interested landowners from all categories will be eligible. Additionally, government, semi-government, and autonomous institutions that want to plant trees on their own land will also be eligible. Similarly, private educational institutions, private trusts, non-governmental organizations, panchayats, land leaseholders, and others who wish to plant trees on their land will also be eligible.

The main objective of the scheme is to promote commercial afforestation in the state. After planting commercial species on the lands of all eligible farmers, government, non-government, semi-government, panchayats, and autonomous institutions of the state, a strong market system will be established by supporting the purchase of minor forest produce at a predetermined support price through cooperative institutions and private companies.