LUCKNOW, July 7 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said Uttar Pradesh now ranks second in India in terms of green cover growth. He made the remark during an interaction with all mayors, district panchayat chairpersons, area panchayat chairpersons, block pramukhs, zila panchayat and block panchayat members, councillors and village heads through video conferencing for successful implementation of the Plantation Mega Campaign-2025. He emphasised the importance of everyone participating in the plantation campaign to ensure a better environment for future generations. "Before 2017, Uttar Pradesh's forest cover was declining. However, in the past eight years, due to well-planned efforts, the forest cover in the state has increased from 9% to 10%," he said. From 2017 to 2024, the state's green cover has seen an increase of 5 lakh acres, he remarked, adding that between 2021 and 2023 alone, forest and tree cover increased by 1.38 lakh acres. Overall from 2017 to 2023, there has been a historic increase of 3.38 lakh acres in green cover, said a press statement by the state government. The chief minister also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. To meet this goal, increasing forest cover is essential, he said and encouraged farmers to plant trees along the boundaries of their fields. Last year, Rs 32.80 lakh was paid to farmers under this initiative. This year, farmers from seven divisions - Devipatan, Ayodhya, Jhansi, Mirzapur, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Aligarh - will receive Rs 42.20 lakh. Emphasising the importance of river restoration, he said, "Just like arteries in the human body, rivers are lifelines for Mother Earth. When Mother Earth is safe, we are safe too."...