Chief minister Raghubar Das will formally launch this year’s annual massive state-sponsored sapling planting exercise on Sunday morning from the banks of the Jumar river on the outskirts of the capital.

Called Vanmahotsav cum Nadi Mahotsav, the green drive will continue across all 24 districts of Jharkhand till August 6, the state’s principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Sanjay Kumar said at Van Bhavan, the forest headquarters in Doranda, on Saturday.

An estimated 8.26 lakh saplings will be planted on 274km of banks along 44 rivers across the state, Kumar added.

Last year, about 9 lakh trees were planted along 130km of banks along 24 rivers in as many districts, he said. “It’s encouraging that over 80 per cent of the trees planted last year have survived,” Kumar said.

He explained why they clubbed Vanmahotsav as Nadi Mahotsav: “Research has proven that planting trees near rivers helps improve the quality of water.”

He added that the forest department would ready 1,775 hectares of land around places from where 33 other rivers of the state originated so that plantation can be carried out there next year, he further said.

River banks apart, saplings can be planted at other places too. “We have directed saplings to be sold from 92 (forest) department nurseries at a subsidised rate of Rs 5 and Rs 15 each,” he said.

He emphasised the importance of community involvement for the survival of the saplings. “From our end, we are involving people, including villagers and students, in planting drives so that they develop an organic relationship with trees and protect the trees,” he said.

He said a survey found that forest areas in Jharkhand had “grown by 4.5 per cent per year from 2005” and the state now had “33.21 per cent forest cover”.

He added that they had set up 62 units to process minor forest produces. The department had also planted trees that prove good hosts for silkworms to promote sericulture on 18,000 hectares, he added.

On the status of Mukhyamantri Jan-Van Yojana introduced two years ago, he said: “About 6.6 lakh trees have been planted so far and we have increased the subsidy from earlier 50 per cent of planting cost to 75 per cent. This year, we had planned 2,500 acres under the scheme but people evinced interest to plant saplings on 3,000 acres.”