Naga Babu: Will work to increase AP’s green cover

Konidela Naga Babu on Friday took charge as Chairman of the AP Green Executive Committee and said that he would discharge his duties with the goal of expanding the state's green cover to 50 per cent of the geographical area by 2047.

He emphasised the efforts to transform environmental conservation from a mere government programme into a mass movement with public participation.

Naga Babu, who is the brother of Deputy Chief Minister and Forest Minister Pawan Kalyan, was speaking to the media after assuming office at Aranya Bhavan in Mangalagiri.

Babu, whose real name is Konidela Nagendra Rao, was appointed Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the ‘Andhra Pradesh Society for Greening and Reforestation for Ecological Enrichment (AP Green)’ on August 17. According to the Government Order, he will enjoy a Cabinet rank.

Terming the role of Chairman of the AP Green Executive Committee as a great honour and responsibility, he thanked Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan for placing their trust in him and entrusting him with key responsibilities.

“I will work with utmost dedication to effectively achieve the goals set by the AP Green Society. Through AP Green, I will strive to increase greenery, expand forest cover, and achieve environmental conservation objectives in the state,” he said.

Naga Babu, who is a member of the Legislative Council, said the state's current forest cover stands at 22.96 per cent. “Our primary objective is to increase the total green cover --comprising both forest and tree cover -- to 50 per cent of the state's geographical area by 2047. This is not merely a target set for the sake of statistics; the government has undertaken this initiative with the resolve to provide future generations with clean air, a healthy environment, and a better quality of life,” he said.

“At a time when climate change poses a global challenge, environmental conservation is a responsibility shared by us all. Therefore, we are implementing an action plan to expand greenery in every suitable area across the state, rather than limiting the AP Green initiative solely to forests. We aim to increase green cover wherever possible, including agricultural lands, villages, urban areas, roadsides, canal bunds, the premises of public and private institutions, industrial surroundings, and suitable wastelands."

He said the AP Green Executive Committee will actively promote large-scale tree planting and the development of plantations.

Stating that achieving this ambitious goal is beyond the scope of any single department, he said they will move forward by coordinating with all relevant government departments, including Agriculture, Horticulture, Panchayat Raj, Education, Industries, Revenue, Water Resources, Transport, and Forest.

“The 'AP Green' initiative should not remain merely a government programme; we aim to make farmers, voluntary organisations, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) entities, students, youth, entrepreneurs, and every citizen active participants in this endeavour. Our objective is to transform 'AP Green' from a mere government scheme into a magnificent people's movement with widespread public participation,” he said.

Naga Babu said planting saplings was not their sole objective. He believes that the true responsibility lies in ensuring the survival, protection, and healthy growth of the saplings planted. We will pay special attention to the survival of every single sapling and establish a dedicated monitoring system for their care and maintenance, he added.