All Government Hospitals and Medical Colleges in Bihar to grow Neem plants

Patna, Bihar

A new scheme called ‘Neem Haqim’, launched on Tuesday by the Department of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (EFCC) in association with the Health Department has mandated the planting of neem saplings in all Government Hospitals and Medical Colleges.

EFCC Minister Neeraj Kumar Singh and Health Minister Mangal Pandey launched the new eco-friendly scheme at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences by planting seeds of neem on their campus. Singh also stated that all Government Hospitals and Medical Colleges have been asked to identify land space available on their respective campus sites for plantation within this week in order to get saplings from the Forest Department.

“The government aims to create a neem corridor in the state”, said Singh. He also added that private hospitals and nursing homes are welcome to join the scheme. The plan includes the growing of other fruit plants on hospital campuses as well.

However, neem, which is known to have medicinal and insecticidal properties, will account for 50% of the plantations. Health Minister Pandey said that his department was actively coordinating with district and sub-divisional hospitals to ensure this initiative is a success. He said that neem was helpful for the environment as well as the health of individual human beings.

In a world where more and more people are concerned with climate change every day, this seems to be a fantastic initiative taken at the state level. The planting of neem saplings on a large scale is inexpensive and feasible, with the potential for changing air quality and subsequently, the health of individuals. It remains to be seen how successful the scheme is going to be.

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News source: Times of India

Updated by Indranuj Ray