52L plants planted ahead of G20 Summit, says Delhi Minister

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday that 21 different government departments worked together to plant 52 lakh plants, resulting in a greener and cleaner Delhi ahead of the G20 Summit.

He mentioned that a team of 300 officials and employees from the forest department had been engaged in beautifying the national capital.

Rai said that the Summer Action Plan allowed them to achieve 69 per cent of their total target, with the remaining to be completed in September after the G20 Summit.

"To enhance the green belt of the capital before the G20 Summit, the Delhi government aimed to plant approximately 52 lakh plants through the Summer Action Plan. This involved the collaborative efforts of 21 government departments," Rai stated.

He also said that the Delhi government surpassed their initial goal, achieving 69 per cent of the target. The joint endeavors of the 21 government departments resulted in the planting of 36,20,356 plants in the national capital.

"While our original target was 50 per cent, we achieved 69 per cent success. The remaining 31 per cent of the plantation work will be completed after the G20 Summit as part of the Winter Action Plan," Rai said.

Previously, the Delhi government successfully planted 1,80,00,000 plants. Rai mentioned that initially, their plantation efforts were concentrated mainly in the forested areas, but they have now expanded to urban areas as well.

"Pollution is escalating in Delhi. The Delhi government is committed to increasing the green cover," he added.