Shimla, Aug. 27 -- India's first state-supported Biochar programme will commence in Himachal Pradesh, with a biochar plant to be established at Neri in Hamirpur district within six months, an official statement said.

A tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in this regard was signed on Wednesday at Oak Over, Shimla, in the presence of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, between Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, and ProClime Services Private Limited, Chennai, the statement added.

The Chief Minister said, "This project was a step towards environmental conservation through intelligent mitigation of forest fires, while also enhancing livelihood opportunities and ...