New Delhi, July 10 (IANS). Minister of State for AYUSH and Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav on Friday welcomed the Delhi government’s plan to conserve the Delhi Ridge Ecosystem. Also suggested to use medicinal plant species in its large scale plantation campaign.
The Minister of State, in a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, described this initiative as an important step towards environmental protection and sustainable urban development.
In his letter, Jadhav praised the proposal to plant more than 70 lakh native and climate-friendly trees, develop more than 70 water bodies and notify about 6,000 hectares of land as forest area.
He described these measures as an important step towards strengthening the ecological security of Delhi and improving the air quality of the city.
The Union Minister of State welcomed the proposal to replace foreign species like Vilayati Kikar and Acacia with indigenous species like Peepal, Banyan, Neem, Arjun and Jamun. He said that this initiative will transform the ‘Ridge’ area as the ‘lungs of Delhi’ and create a healthy and green urban environment for the coming generations.
Emphasizing the need to link environmental protection with public health and traditional medical systems, Jadhav suggested that at least 20 percent of the trees in the proposed eight forests should be of medicinal plants. The Minister of State wrote that if this is not possible, then at least two forests should be developed exclusively as medicinal forests (Aushadhi Van).
He said that such medicinal forests will help in creating a sustainable source of good quality raw materials for the AYUSH sector, promote biodiversity conservation, strengthen ecological restoration efforts and promote eco-tourism in the National Capital Region.
Jadhav also shared with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta a probable list of medicinal plant species that can be planted in the agro-climatic conditions of Delhi. Suggested species include Ashwagandha, Giloy, Tulsi, Brahmi, Shatavari, Amla, Arjun, Ashoka, Neem, Bael and Jamun etc.
Reiterating the commitment of the Ministry of AYUSH to promote medicinal plants and sustainable healthcare ecosystem, Jadhav expressed confidence that this proposed initiative will serve as a model for linking urban afforestation with India’s traditional medical systems and environmental conservation.
–IANS
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