Chitra Santhe 2026: Chief minister Siddaramaiah calls for mass tree plantation in Karnataka | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah Sunday said his govt aims to plant 3 to 5 crore saplings every year across Karnataka to increase green cover.“In any given region, the forest cover should be at least 30%, but in our regions, it is only about 20%. We will take up all efforts to increase this. We should all follow the model of Saalumarada Thimmakka, who planted rows of trees and nurtured them like her own children. She received many awards, including the Padma Shri, for taking care of those trees. We can all pay homage to her by planting more trees,” the CM said after inaugurating the 23rd edition of Chitra Santhe, which has the theme of ‘environmental challenges’ this year.Saying that planting trees needs more will than money, Siddaramaiah said: “The govt will take greater interest in this direction. If we protect the environment, it will protect us; hence, knowledge about the environment is essential. The govt has organised many programmes in this regard. Environmental pollution has increased in Bengaluru and many other state capitals. In Delhi, it has created an unliveable atmosphere. Environmental protection is a necessity today.”
