Gaya, August 1: A significant seed ball plantation initiative took place on Saturday at the historic Ramshila Hill in Gaya, Bihar. Organized by the Gaya Forest Division, the event featured Dr. Prem Kumar, the Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, as the chief guest. He emphasized the importance of making environmental conservation a public movement. Dr. Kumar urged every citizen to plant at least one tree each year and commit to protecting it until it matures.
During his address, Dr. Kumar stated that the environment is not merely about natural resources; it is the foundation of human life, health, and the future. He highlighted that sustainable development cannot be envisioned without clean air, pure water, green forests, fertile land, and biodiversity conservation. He pointed out the pressing global challenges of climate change, rising pollution, global warming, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss, stressing the need for collective action to tackle these issues.
Dr. Kumar remarked that India’s cultural heritage has always respected and preserved nature. The tradition of venerating trees, rivers, mountains, and living beings continues to inspire society towards environmental protection. He called on the youth to take a leading role in this campaign, encouraging them to integrate water conservation, reduction of plastic use, cleanliness, and energy conservation into their daily lives. He noted that Bihar is an agriculture-dependent state, necessitating extensive efforts in conserving natural resources, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, and increasing green cover.
He asserted that environmental protection is not solely the responsibility of the government or any department but is a duty of every individual in society. On this occasion, officials from the Gaya Forest Division explained that the ‘seed ball’ technique is proving more effective than traditional planting methods in hilly and remote areas. Seed balls, made from soil, compost, and seeds of native species like neem, peepal, banyan, jamun, and shisham, germinate during the monsoon when they receive rainwater, promoting natural greenery.
According to the Forest Division, the target for the 2026-27 fiscal year is to plant approximately 2.4 million trees in the Gaya Forest Division area. Similar seed ball plantation and tree-planting campaigns will be conducted on other historic and religious hills in Gaya in the future. The event was attended by local MLA Manorama Devi from Belaganj, forest department officials, public representatives, environmentalists, employees, and a large number of local citizens.
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