Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said that efforts will be made to revitalise 2.5 lakh hectares of barren land in the State in the future.
He was speaking here at a function organised by the Isha Foundation on ‘Save Soil’, to mark the return of Sadguru Jaggi Vasudeva from his 27,000-km bike trip, during which he highlighted the need to protect the soil in several countries.
The event also saw the Karnataka government signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Isha Foundation to save soil.
To ensure revival of the soil, the Chief Minister said that one of the ways would be to increase the tree cover. “From a forest cover that was around 32% in the past, it has now dropped to about 24%. Efforts have to be made to increase to 30%.”
He pointed out the efforts of the government, under former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, such as ‘Bhoo Chetana’, a programme to conserve soil and increase organic content in the soil.
“We are the first State to have ₹100 crore ecological budget under the guidance of Mr. Yediyurappa.”
Mr. Bommai said: “We have to take a pledge to visit nearby villages for four days in a month that is Sundays, to create awareness to save soil among farmers. Our forefathers have toiled hard to save soil.”
Regarding the MoU, he said: “We will do whatever is needed to save soil. The government will keep renewing the MoU for soil conservation under the guidance of soil scientists as and when required”.
Sadguru Jaggi Vasudeva, Mr. Yediyurappa, and Ministers K. Sudhakar and B.C. Nagesh were present on the occasion.
