Green Pakistan Programme: Climate ministry seeks provinces’ input
ISLAMABAD:The Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) has asked provincial governments and relevant departments to prepare their project concept (PC-I) with a timeframe to include their suggestions in the Green Pakistan Programme (GPP) project.
The ministry has written letters to provincial chief ministers, governors and forest departments seeking their input to implement the GPP project, a brainchild of the prime minister for sustainable socio-economic development while coping with climate issues.
An amount of Rs2 billion have been earmarked for the GPP after the prime minister approved the summary of the MoCC on May 26.A total of over 10 million trees will be planted during the five-year programme, which will cost Rs10 billion.
The GPP, which will be implemented between 2016 and 2021, has been hammered out on the directives of the prime minister in consultations with all relevant stakeholders.Resources under the GPP were supposed to be divided between the federating units including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan governments and the FATA secretariat. The provincial share will be distributed amongst the federating units as per the latest NFC formula.
Of the Rs2 billion, Rs1 billion would be released during the new financial year, starting from July 1 under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), a source in the ministry said.MOCC officials claim that the programme would be formally launched in July with a tree plantation campaign.At a weekly briefing on last Tuesday, Deputy Inspector General Forest Munaf Qaimkhani told the media that the MoCC on the instructions of the premier would write a letter to all provincial chief ministers and others to convey the significance of the programme for sustainable socio-economic development the country and coping with climate change-induced disasters, particularly floods, heat waves, landslides, land and river erosions, cyclones, dust storms and desertification.
The MoCC in consultation with provincial forest and wildlife departments and other relevant federal governmental departments and non-governmental organisations, plans to conserve existing forests, planting more trees through community participation to meet international obligations related to forests.
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