For the first time, Maharashtra’s state budget has included measures to combat climate change, a significant step towards addressing the urgent environmental challenges facing the state. Finance Minister Ajit Pawar announced the initiative on Friday, outlining a comprehensive plan that centers around extensive bamboo plantation.
Under the Atal Bamboo Samriddhi Yojana, the state government will encourage bamboo plantation across 10,000 hectares of private land. Farmers participating in the scheme will receive a substantial incentive of Rs 7 lakh per hectare over a three-year period to support their efforts. This initiative, the minister emphasized, is crucial in mitigating the devastating effects of climate change.
The scheme’s reach extends beyond private land. Wasteland will also see a large-scale bamboo plantation project, starting with a 1.2 lakh acre area in Nandurbar. Funding for private land will be a joint venture, with the central government contributing 90% and the state government providing 10%. For tribal land, the scheme will be fully funded by the central government.
The announcement of this ambitious plan follows a recent review of kharif crops, where the government acknowledged the pressing need to address climate change’s impact on human life and biodiversity. Pasha Patel, the executive chairman of the newly formed Environment and Sustainability Task Force, highlighted the urgency of the situation, citing a report by the World Resource Institute-IPCC that warned of catastrophic consequences resulting from a temperature rise between 1.5°C to 3°C. These consequences include widespread biodiversity loss, severe drought affecting millions, increased forest fires, more extreme heat days and frequent heat waves, rising sea levels, and devastating floods impacting a large portion of the population.
Patel strongly advocated for extensive bamboo plantation as a crucial countermeasure to these impending threats. He proposed that 20% of Maharashtra’s geographical area be covered with greenery, emphasizing bamboo’s rapid growth rate and its diverse uses.
The state government plans to leverage the central scheme to implement large-scale bamboo plantation projects. These projects will be strategically located along major highways and expressways, creating a network of green corridors. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also announced a substantial Rs 200-crore bamboo plantation initiative for Mumbai, to be executed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). This initiative signifies the commitment of the state government to combat climate change and promote sustainable development.
