Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination (Topic: "Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme" and "Oxy Van" (Oxygen Forests) in Haryana)

Current Affairs Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination

"Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme" and "Oxy Van" (Oxygen Forests) in Haryana

On the occasion of World Environment Day, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced unique and first of its kind initiatives “Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme”, and "Oxy Van" (Oxygen Forests) to avoid shortage of oxygen in future.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, several states including Haryana witnessed a crisis of medical oxygen that was needed for severely ill COVID-19 patients.

The state government has taken an initiative to honour all those trees which are of the age of 75 years and above and have served humanity throughout their life by producing oxygen, reducing pollution, providing shade and so on.
Such trees will be identified throughout the state and these will be looked after by involving local people in this scheme”.
For maintenance of trees older than 75 years, a “pension amount” of Rs 2,500 would be given per year in the name of PVDPS to the village panchayats.
This ‘tree pension’ shall continue to increase every year, on lines similar to the Old Age Samman Pension Scheme in the state.
According to state government officials, at least 2,500 such trees have been identified so far.

Oxy Van are identified pieces of land, on which as many as 3 crore trees would be planted. For this, Oxy Forests will be planted on land ranging from 5 acres to 100 acres in the cities of Haryana.
The Oxy Vans will occupy 10 per cent of the 8 lakh hectares of land across Haryana.
The park will also have an information centre and a souvenir shop, and people will be able to buy plants at subsidized rates related to their Rashi (zodiac sign) to grow in their homesteads.

Chit Van: It will contain ornamental and flowering plants like the Orchid Tree (Kachnar), Indian Laburnum (Amaltas), Pride of India, Red silk cotton tree (Semal), among others.
Pakhi Van: It will house plants like Peepal, Banyan, Pilkhan, Neem etc.
Antriksh Van: It will have “luck-boosting” plants like Flame of the Forest (Palash/Dhak), Jackfruit, Cluster Fig (Gullar), Amla, Krishan Neel, Champa, Khair, Bilwa, etc.
Arogya Van: It will have medicinal plants like Tulsi, Ashwagandha, Neem, Aloe Vera, Harad, Baheda, etc.
Sugandh Vatika: It will contain fragrant plants like Sugadhraj, Chameli, Night Queen, Day King, Night-blooming Jasmine (Parijaat), etc.
Panchvati: Panchvati literally means five trees. These trees are Banyan/Barh/Bargad, Sacred Fig/Peepal, Stone Apple (Bilwa/Bil), Aonla, and Sita Ashok.