A file photo of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday gave a thumbs-up to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement on promoting herbal cultivation along the banks of the Ganges, stating that it was in line with the government's Namami Gange Mission.
"Our aim behind 'Namami Gange' has been to encourage activities that boost the economy along with faith. And today, the central government has announced a package for herbal cultivation along the banks of the river Ganga," Adityanath said.
"Out of nearly 2,500 km that the Ganges covers from its point of origin till where it meets the sea, approximately 1,000 km is in Uttar Pradesh. So, the importance of the measure for our state cannot be over-stated enough," said Adityanath.
As part of the initiative to promote herbal cultivation, Sitharaman announced that ten lakh hectares of the area would be covered over the next two years, a plan that would cost approximately Rs 4,000 crore. Nearly 800 hectares of land along the Ganges river will be put under cultivation, as per the government.
The National Medicinal Plants' Board (NMPB) has been working towards a plan to increase the area under the cultivation of medicinal plants, she said.
The Finance Minister said that the plan would lead to income generation to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore.
