The BJP led
NDA government preparing plans to resolve the prevailed un employment problem
by concentrating on protecting the environment.
The government plans to plant 200 crore trees
along the entire 1 lakh km National Highways network across the country to
employ jobless youth.
"The length of National Highways in the country is one lakh
kilometre. I have asked officials to come out with a plan to plant 200 crore
trees along these stretches which in turn would create jobs for the unemployed
on the one hand and protect the environment on the other," Road Transport,
Highways, Shipping and Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari said here
today.
A similar scheme could be implemented under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Gurantee Act) along the village and district roads
and state highways. That has the potential to employ 30 lakh youth, he said
while inaugurating a conference on "Regeneration of Rivers".
Gadkari said Gram Panchayats will be taken into confidence and the
unemployed youth could be assigned 50 trees each which could fetch livelihood
for them from the produce.
He
also stressed upon the need for water conservation stating that if even 15 per
cent of rainwater could be tapped out of the 60 per cent that goes to the sea,
the water-scarcity could be avoided and people can be supplied with potable
water besides irrigation of agriculture land.
The government will lay stress on building check-dams instead of
mega projects, he said, adding that the biggest impediment in way of water
schemes is lack of electricity and steps were on to improve the power situation
by fixing accountability and regular auditing.
He said measures were also on to save Rs 6 lakh crore on imports
of petrol, diesel and gas by way of promoting bio-fuels.
He added that his departments in coordination with others are
preparing roadmaps for cleanliness of Ganga and Yamuna rivers and developing
waterways in the country for environment -friendly and quick movement of cargo
and passenger traffic.
Gadkari also said that the project monitoring committee was
looking into realignment of National Highways in calamity torn Kedarnath
region, which faced flash floods last year that killed and displaced thousands
of people.
