Keeping in view the depleting forest cover in the state and the threat posed by the upcoming industrial projects, the Orissa government has drawn up a plan to take up afforestation activities on 2.31 lakh hectares of land in the current financial year at an investment of Rs 236.86 crore.
This was informed by the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on in the state legislative assembly.
In 2009-10, afforestation activities were taken up on 92,584 hectares for creation of additional forest cover in the state.
During two years prior to that, between 2007 and 2009, afforestation activities were taken up on 1.61 lakh hectares.
Patnaik said, the state government is also making efforts to free the encroached forest land.
He said, in view of global warming and the unusual change of climate, the government has formulated a draft Orissa Climate Change Action Plan and following the finalization of this Plan, steps will be taken for its implementation.
As per the estimates of the State Pollution Control Board, 68.55 million tonnes of carbon dioxide are emitted annually from the steel, aluminium and cement industries and the power plants operating in the state.