Explanation:

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has launched a unique initiative ‘Har Gaon Hariyali’.

The ‘Har Gaon Hariyali’ program which has been launched in consonance with the vision of ‘Green Jammu and Kashmir’ drive has proved instrumental towards ensuring sustainable development besides promoting climate justice across the Union Territory.

The ambitious program is also contributing tremendously towards increasing the carbon stock especially in villages located near degraded forests of J&K.

The Green Jammu and Kashmir drive itself is in commensuration with the National Forest Policy 1988 and the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Policy 2011 which envisages afforestation on all degraded and denuded lands in the union territory within and outside forests.

The biggest achievement under Har Gaon Hariyali is that a massive convergence programme is taking place by dovetailing funds under MG-NREGA and the afforestation programme of the forest department.

Under low-cost mode of greening and increasing the forest and tree cover, more than 50 lakh seeds/grass-slips are likely to be planted during the year 2022-23.

Notably, NITI Aayog in its `State Energy and Climate Index’ report has revealed that Jammu and Kashmir has 94.5 tonnes of carbon stock per hectare of forest land while Andaman and Nicobar tops the list with 96.4 tons of carbon stock per hectare.

Carbon stock refers to the amount of carbon stored in forests in the form of biomass, soil, deadwood, and litter. An increase in green cover and carbon stock indicates a healthy trend to deal with global warming.