The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) has decided to carry out the green drive more smartly. The authority had decided to plant such tress which would not require much water and maintenance. Plants like sheesham (dalbergia sissoo), neem (azadirachta indica) and karanj (pongamia pinnata) would be planted throughout 3,000 km region of Jaipur soon.

CUTTACK: With fast depleting green cover coupled with the industrialisation spree beginning to raise concerns over environmental and ecosystems damage, the Cuttack district administration is all set to launch a massive plantation drive in the region soon. But with a difference.

BALANGIR: The neem trees that were once planted aplenty in Balangir by erstwhile kings, have come as a boon for denizens of the district with NABARD introducing Integrated Neem Development Plan, touted as the first project on neem in the country. After introduction of the plan, around 10,000 women, mostly members of SHGs, have been engaged in collection of neem fruits.

Machenahalli, June 10, DHNS:

''No other village can boast of having so many neem trees as we have in our village. We protect neem trees because we respect and rever it,'' says a Machenahalli Gram Panchayat Secretary Ramesh.

Indian plants represent a rich source of phytochemicals for biopesticides and raw material for agro industries. Among them, neem (Azadirachta indica) has been in the limelight in recent years as it has been exploited for commercial products and found suitable for environmental protection.

Neem, the most revered Indian tropical tree, with medicinal properties has turned too bitter for the BBMP.

Once, the women of Muddana Guddi, a village in Raichur district, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, suffered from drought and poverty. With no alternatives except cursing their own troubles, they used to migrate to neighbouring states for work. Now, they are earning their own livelihoods by running a business worth hundreds of thousands of rupees.

A study was undertaken to find out the impact of physiologically superior and inferior neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) trees on their seed performance in laboratory as well as in nursery. Germination percentage, mean germination time (MGT) and germination value were taken as seed parameters.

Pune, March 22

Patiala, October 03 Neem-based bioinsecticides will soon be commercially produced by the Thapar University

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