RAWALPINDI: International Forest Day was observed on Sunday across Punjab province to spread awareness about plantation and urge the citizens to come forward and play a role to make the ongoing plantation campaign a success.

According to a spokesman of the Punjab Forests department, all the departments concerned were making all out efforts to achieve the targets set for the plantation campaign 2021. He informed that nearly 103 million saplings would be planted across the province during the plantation campaign of 2020-21.

He told APP that over 85 million saplings worth Rs 26 billion were planted during 2019-20 financial year under 10 billion tree tsunami plantation drive while the target of over 103 million saplings would be achieved during 2020-21 financial year.

To a question, he informed that the forest department had planted 30 million saplings under current target till February 2021 while over 67 million saplings would also be planted during March to June.

To another question, he said, over 244 nurseries of the Punjab Forests Department were set up to grow required stocks of the plants besides establishing 363 sale points to provide saplings to the citizens only at Rs 2 subsidized rate.