PM To Launch Aravalli Restoration Drive on June 5

05 Jun 2025 CW Team

The chief ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat will also take part in the event. The project, which forms a core part of the Aravalli Green Wall initiative announced in March 2023, aims to develop a five-kilometre-wide green buffer belt covering 6.45 million hectares across the four states.

Currently, around 42 per cent—or 2.7 million hectares—within this buffer zone is classified as degraded land. The project will include the creation of approximately 1,000 nurseries in 29 districts along the range. This large-scale afforestation effort is intended to support India’s environmental targets, including the restoration of 26 million hectares of degraded land and creation of an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030.

The Aravallis serve as a crucial ecological barrier, protecting northern India from desertification by halting the spread of the Thar Desert. The range shields cities like Delhi, Gurugram, and Jaipur, and supports important ecosystems comprising forests, grasslands, wetlands, and rivers such as the Chambal, Sabarmati, and Luni.

However, rising deforestation, unregulated mining, overgrazing, and encroachments have severely damaged the Aravalli landscape, depleting aquifers, drying lakes, and reducing biodiversity.

According to the government's action plan, 81 per cent of the degraded land within the designated buffer zone lies in Rajasthan. Udaipur alone accounts for 0.675 million hectares, surpassing the combined degraded area of Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat, which stands at 0.568 million hectares. Gujarat holds 15.8 per cent of the degraded area, followed by Haryana (1.7 per cent) and Delhi (1.6 per cent).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially launch a major land restoration initiative in the Aravalli mountain range on 5 June, coinciding with World Environment Day. As part of the launch, Modi will plant saplings in South Delhi’s ridge area, a key segment of the 700-kilometre-long range stretching from Gujarat to Delhi, according to officials from the environment ministry.The chief ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat will also take part in the event. The project, which forms a core part of the Aravalli Green Wall initiative announced in March 2023, aims to develop a five-kilometre-wide green buffer belt covering 6.45 million hectares across the four states.Currently, around 42 per cent—or 2.7 million hectares—within this buffer zone is classified as degraded land. The project will include the creation of approximately 1,000 nurseries in 29 districts along the range. This large-scale afforestation effort is intended to support India’s environmental targets, including the restoration of 26 million hectares of degraded land and creation of an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030.The Aravallis serve as a crucial ecological barrier, protecting northern India from desertification by halting the spread of the Thar Desert. The range shields cities like Delhi, Gurugram, and Jaipur, and supports important ecosystems comprising forests, grasslands, wetlands, and rivers such as the Chambal, Sabarmati, and Luni.However, rising deforestation, unregulated mining, overgrazing, and encroachments have severely damaged the Aravalli landscape, depleting aquifers, drying lakes, and reducing biodiversity.According to the government's action plan, 81 per cent of the degraded land within the designated buffer zone lies in Rajasthan. Udaipur alone accounts for 0.675 million hectares, surpassing the combined degraded area of Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat, which stands at 0.568 million hectares. Gujarat holds 15.8 per cent of the degraded area, followed by Haryana (1.7 per cent) and Delhi (1.6 per cent).

Infrastructure Urban

17 Sep 2025

DCPC Prepares for Special Campaign 5.0 with Focus on E-Waste

The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, is gearing up for Special Campaign 5.0, to be held from 2nd to 31st October 2025. The initiative will focus on e-waste disposal as per MoEFCC’s E-Waste Management Rules 2022, space optimisation, and enhancing workplace efficiency across field offices.Special Campaign 4.0, conducted between October 2023 and October 2024, delivered notable results in record management, grievance redressal, scrap disposal, and cleanliness drives.Key outcomes of Special Campaign 4.0Records management: 2,443 physical fil..

Real Estate

17 Sep 2025

BlackRock India Leases 1.4 Lakh Sq Ft in Bengaluru

BlackRock Services India, the domestic arm of global asset manager BlackRock, has leased 1.4 lakh sq ft of office space at IndiQube Symphony in Bengaluru, according to Propstack data. The 10-year deal is valued at around Rs 4.10 billion.The lease, among the largest transactions in India’s co-working sector, highlights the growing preference of global institutions for flexible office providers. The agreement, commencing October 1, 2025, covers ground plus five floors in KNG Tower 1 at Ashoknagar, MG Road — one of Bengaluru’s prime commercial hubs.As per the lease document, BlackRock will ..

Infrastructure Transport

17 Sep 2025

L&T Bags Rs 25–50 Bn Order for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Track Works

Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) Transportation Infrastructure business has secured an order valued between Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 billion from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor.The contract, Package T1, involves the design, supply, construction, testing, and commissioning of 156 route km of high-speed ballastless track on a Design-Build Lump Sum Price basis. The stretch runs from Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex to Zaroli village in Gujarat and includes 21 km of underground track and 135 km of elevated viaduct.Se..