Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has said that as per the Green Highways Policy 2015, all the National Highway Projects are taken up for greening. He said, so far, plantation work in over 62 thousand kilometres of national highways has been taken up. In a reply in the Lok Sabha today, Mr. Gadkari said, that while the exact number of employment opportunities generated may vary depending on the scope and scale of the projects, the Green Highways Policy leads to the creation of a substantial number of direct and indirect jobs in the fields of plantation, nursery development, maintenance, and associated activities. He said these opportunities primarily benefit rural communities, including women and marginalised groups engaged through self-help groups, the National Rural Livelihood Mission, and state rural livelihood missions, thus contributing to socio-economic development.
The minister said that, over the last five years, the planting of over 322 lakh saplings generated approximately 323 lakh man-days of employment. He said the Green Highways Policy 2015 mandates the inclusion of a greening component in all highway projects. As a result, the fund requirement is integrated into the Detailed Project Reports and Concession Agreements, eliminating the need for a separate fund allocation for this purpose.
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