Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the ambitious Haritha Keralam Mission aimed at protecting land and water besides tackling burning issues like garbage and toxic vegetables. The state-level function marked sowing of seedlings at Kalathariakkal paddy fields in Kollayil panchayat in Parassala. Various programmes were launched by local bodies across the state on Thursday as part of Mission. Farming activities, cleanliness drive and cleaning up of water sources were taken up at 11,000 wards simultaneously.
At the inaugural function, owners pledged to cooperate with the farming activities under the Mission and gave consent for using their land totalling 23 acres. “We should be able to able to reclaim the lost Agricultural Kerala. The mission will play an important role in addressing two major issues waste management and agriculture development,” he said. The launch was held in the presence of singer Yesudas who is also brand ambassador of Haritha Kerala Mission, actor Manju Warrier, Cardinal Cleemis Mar Baselios and Mission vice-chairman T. N. Seema.
The chief minister said a comprehensive plan has been devised to involve school children in a big way to promote farming activities. Farming will be taken up in barren land across the state with the objective of increasing the area of farming particularly paddy and vegetable cultivation. The chief minister said the government had already devised a mechanism to ensure that scientific and technical expertise of agriculture university reaches straight to the farm.
As part of the Mission, the local bodies are free to take up a particular project as part of their annual plan or even programmes outside the plan. The Mission has planned to involve schools and government offices in programmes to be implemented over the next four and a half years. The Mission has roped in top actors of Malayalam film industry for the mega project. Mammotty and Sreenivasan inaugurated waste management and farming activities as part of Mission in Kochi.
