Blitz Bureau
UNDERSCORING India’s proactive approach to tackling desertification, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, pointed out the adverse effects of unsustainable agricultural practices, excessive fertilizer use, and indiscriminate pesticide application, which jeopardize land health, food security, and biodiversity. “Healthy land is essential for regional stability and economic prosperity,” Yadav declared at a function to commemorate World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2025 in Jodhpur.
Yadav highlighted several initiatives aimed at restoring ecological balance, such as the revival of water bodies through Amrit Sarovars to support biodiversity and combat desertification, the Matri Van campaign encouraging tree planting in the Aravalli region in honour of mothers to foster a cultural bond with nature, and the nationwide Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam movement, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to plant trees as a tribute to ‘Mother Earth.’
He emphasised the Aravalli range’s critical role as a 700-km natural barrier spanning 29 districts, protecting regions from the advancing Thar Desert while preserving India’s cultural and ecological heritage.
Yadav advocated for communitydriven restoration efforts and expressed confidence in achieving a green economy by 2047, harmonising ecological sustainability with economic progress.