The government has approved 87 projects involving over Tk 1025 crore to combat climate change impacts.

Budget proposals include increase in outlays for education and social security measures for youth

Even as he announced major increases in outlays for education, agriculture, social security and programmes for the youth, Punjab's new Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa in his maiden Budget speech in the State Assembly here on Wednesday came up with proposals that left Rs.3,123.31 crore as revenue deficit and Rs.8,923.92 crore as fiscal deficit. The State would also require at least Rs.2000 crore more to implement its Rs.14,000-crore Annual Plan for the 2012-13 fiscal.

Even as civic administration and other city agencies are planning major infrastructure projects, this will cost the city almost 500 trees in the process.

According to the data provided by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Tree Authority, permission to cut 493 trees was sought by various agencies including the BMC, MMRDA and MUTP since January 2012 for major infrastructure projects. Of the 1,297 trees that are obstructing these development projects, the civic administration has given permission to chop 111 trees and transplant 382.

The State Forest Department, in a bid to create assets and popularise the concept of sandalwood estates, will take up the exercise of planting around 10 lakh sandalwood saplings in around 10,000 acres of forest land across the State.

Addressing mediapersons here on Friday, Forest Minister C P Yogeeshwara said that 10 places - Kolar, Ramanagara, Bangalore, Mysore, Shimoga, Belgaum, Dharwad, Chikmagalur, Hassan, Tumkur and Bidar - had been identified for planting sandalwood saplings.

Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund has approved $153 million projects to fight adverse impacts of climate change.

Under the Tamil Nadu Bio-Diversity Conservation and Greening Project, 10 crore saplings woill be planted across the State, said forest officials at the bi-annual consultative meeting of Forest Genetics, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, held at the office of Forest Genetics here recently.

This scheme of tree cultivation in private lands would be implemented in fallow lands of around 4,000-5,000 villages in 32 districts, they said. H. Basavaraju, chief conservator of forests (research),

Allocation of Tk 400 crore for the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund was sought in the proposed budget for 2012-2013, which was placed in the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday.

The government has to deal firmly in protecting and preserving forests by making policy changes wherever required.

Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd plans to take under captive plantation over 10,000 acres of degraded land to raise pulp wood for raw material.