Custodians of trees older than 70 years to get Rs 2,750 on Nov 1 in Haryana

To curb incidents of stubble burning, custodians of trees older than 70 years would be given Rs 2,750 under the Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme on November 1. The scheme has been introduced in view of the increase in air pollution.

Chandigarh: In view of rising cases of stubble burning in Haryana, the state government has decided to launch a scheme under which a pension amounting to Rs 2,750 would be provided to custodians of trees older than 70 years on November 1.

The Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme would be launched in Haryana and the government has identified 4,000 trees that come under the prescribed category. The scheme is aimed at improving the air quality index.

Environment and Forest Minister Kanwarpal Gurjar said that Haryana is the first state in the country to give pension to the custodians of trees. "The pension will be given on November 1. The Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme has been launched to protect the environment because trees older than 70 years have an ecological value," Gurjar said.

The minister said that old age pension, disabled pension, widow pension and several such allowances are given in other states but, the Pran Vayu Devata Pension Scheme is the first of its kind. "Other states should adopt such schemes for protecting the environment. Preparations were being made for this scheme for a long time and process was on to identify trees that are older than 70 years," Gurjar said.

According to the scheme, if there is a tree near a house that is more than 70 years old then the owner of the house will get the tree's ownership. If the tree is on government land, the Gram Panchayat will get its ownership. Again, if a tree that is older than 70 years in a farm then the farmer will get the pension while if it is in the city, then its ownership will rest on the local administration. Similarly, for such trees in forest areas, it is the forest department that will get the ownership.

According to data, stubble burning cases have increased four times as compared to last year. From September 15 to October 5, a total of 190 cases of stubble burning were reported in the state. Also, the government is taking action against those involved in stubble burning.

Notably, on October 5, four cities of Haryana were included in the top 10 most polluted cities of the country. The air quality index of Haryana's Sonipat has been found to be higher than that of New Delhi. The air quality index was 324 in Faridabad, 299 in Kaithal, 297 in Sonipat, 292 in Gurugram and 229 in Dharuhera.