Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dedicates Bharat Van

Two lakh native saplings to be planted using Miyawaki method across city parks

Mysuru: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman this morning launched a major urban greening initiative in Mysuru using Miyawaki method, under which two lakh native saplings will be planted across city’s parks.

The Minister inaugurated ‘Bharat Van’ at Kempu Cheluvajammanni Layout (K.C. Layout) Park by planting a jackfruit sapling. The park was to be inaugurated by PM Modi this evening.

However, Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the project this morning and also performed puja to a teak tree as part of a traditional ritual of tree worship. The initiative is taken up under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the State Bank of India (SBI) and SBI Foundation.

As part of the project, 45,000 native saplings will be planted across 4.5 acres at K.C. Layout Park. Catch Foundation will plant 40,000 saplings across four acres, while Enviro Creators Foundation will plant 5,000 saplings on half an acre.

Plantation work will also be undertaken in six parks at Vijayanagar 4th Stage. The overall target of two lakh saplings will be shared equally between the two organisations.

The initiative is implemented under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, with Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) providing land in its parks and water facilities.

Addressing the gathering, Nirmala Sitharaman said the initiative would transform the city’s urban park spaces into ‘Bharat Van’. She also referred to similar successful greening projects undertaken earlier in Raichur.

More than 500 school students participated in the event at K.C. Layout Park. Over 1,000 students are expected to take part in various plantation activities, helping spread awareness about environmental conservation among younger generation.

District Minister Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Wadiyar, MLA T.S. Srivatsa, DC Lakshmikanth Reddy, MCC Commissioner M.K. Savitha, City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, DCP (Crime and Traffic) K.S. Sundar Raj, Dr. Radhakrishna (R.K.) Nair, known as the Green Hero of India, Bhartha Sisodia of Catch Foundation, SBI Chief General Manager for Karnataka Deepak Kaushik, General Manager for Karnataka Sanjay Kumar Jha and DGM of Mysuru Jyoti Narayan Mohanty were present.