Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi launches eco-friendly bags for Patna zoo visitors, at his official residence on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

The state government will plant 25 crore saplings under its Hariyali Mission, said deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on the sidelines of his janata darbar on Tuesday.

“In the next five years, more than 13 crore saplings will be planted on roadsides, riverbanks and fields, while more than 10 crore saplings will be planted in forest areas to increase the green cover under the Hariyali Mission. To implement the mission and ensure its success, the government has formed four programmes,” said Modi.

Modi detailed the mission’s objectives on the occasion of World Environment Day on Tuesday.

Describing the mission, Modi said: “First is a tree-protection programme in which BPL families will take care of trees in their area for 30 years. They can also use the trees for their own benefit without harming it.”

“Second is tree-friendship programme where a person will be appointed out of five panchayats, as mitra to take care of a new plant. In nursery programme, the government will encourage residents to set up private nurseries. The government will provide them subsidy for the initiative,” said Modi.

The deputy chief minister, who also holds the environment and forests portfolio, said: “The fourth programme is agro forestry, in which farmers would be requested to plant trees in their fields apart from cultivating paddy and wheat.”

Metal concern

A.K. Gupta, the dean-cum-academic programme director of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, on Tuesday addressed a science lecture on the effect of heavy metals at Srikrishna Science Centre. The lecture — Invisible foe: Heavy Metals — was organised to mark World Environment Day.

Gupta spoke on the effects of mercury, lead and arsenic, on health.

“Smokers are susceptible to arsenic poisoning as insecticides sprayed on tobacco plants have arsenic in them,” said Gupta.

Principal of AN College Haridwar Singh inaugurated a vermicompost (a bio-fertiliser) unit at the institute.