PARLIAMENT QUESTION: COMMUNITY-LED TREE PLANTATION DRIVES

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change reports that the National Disaster Management Plan lists heat waves among 17 major hazards and assigns responsibilities to central ministries, state disaster authorities, district authorities and local bodies. The National Disaster Management Authority’s Guidelines (2016, revised 2019) enable heat‑prone states and UTs to prepare State, District and City Heat Action Plans, conduct vulnerability assessments for groups such as the elderly, children, outdoor workers and urban poor, and recommend urban heat‑mitigation measures like increasing green cover, cool roofs and preserving water bodies. Under schemes such as AMRUT, AMRUT 2.0, SSASCI, Nagar Van Yojana and community initiatives like Women SHGs under AMRUT Mitra and ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, tree‑plantation drives are being undertaken to enhance urban greening and climate resilience.