It's a first: Maharashtra state budget includes bamboo plantation scheme to fight climate change

For the first time, Maharashtra’s state budget included measures to combat Climate change change, Finance Minister Ajit Pawar announced Friday.

Under the Atal Bamboo Samriddhi Yojana, bamboo plantation will ensured across 10,000 hectares of private land in the state. This scheme aims to mitigate the impact of climate change, according to the minister.

Farmers participating in the scheme will receive Rs 7 lakh per hectare over three years for bamboo plantation.

Additionally, bamboo will be planted on wasteland, starting with a project covering 1.2 lakh acres in Nandurbar.

Funding for private land will be split, with 90% provided by the Central Government and 10% by the state. For tribal land, the scheme will be fully funded by the central government, the finance minister said.

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Announcement of this scheme follows a recent review of kharif crops, where the government discussed the climate change’s effects on human life and biodiversity. Pasha Patel, the executive chairman of the newly formed Environment and Sustainability Task Force, stated the urgent need to address climate change impacts.

He cited a report by the World Resource Institute-IPCC warning of devastating effects from a temperature rise of 1.5°C to 3°C.

These effects include biodiversity loss, drought affecting millions, increased forest fires, more hot days, frequent heat waves, sea level rise, and floods impacting a major portion of the population.

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Patel advocated for extensive bamboo plantation, as a countermeasure for these acts. He proposed that 20% of Maharashtra’s geographical area be covered with greenery given bamboo’s rapid growth and versatile uses.

The state government plans to use the central scheme to implement large-scale bamboo plantation projects, including along major highways and expressways.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also announced a Rs 200-crore bamboo plantation initiative in Mumbai, to be executed by the BMC.