40 crore saplings to be planted in next 8 years: Badal

Chandigarh, June 30 (IANS) The ambitious "Greening Punjab" campaign, to begin Sunday, will see over 40 crore saplings of various trees being planted in various parts of the state in the next eight years, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced Saturday.

He said that the Punjab government had set itself a target of planning five crore saplings every year and there would be no dearth of funding and other resources for the campaign.

At a meeting with senior officials here Saturday, Badal said that the campaign would be launched from Fazilka district in south-west Punjab, 300 km from here, Sunday.

He said that deputy commissioners in all districts of Punjab have been directed to identify land for the planting of the saplings. He said that the green drive would be made a public movement.