Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has officially launched a nationwide initiative to plant 250 million trees over the next five years, fulfilling one of his government’s key election pledges.
The program was inaugurated on Saturday, June 13, at the Malumghat Reserved Forest in Dulahazara, PM Khali, Cox’s Bazar, where the Prime Minister planted a sapling of a Garjan tree. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, and other ministers and members of parliament also participated by planting saplings of eleven different tree species.
According to government officials, the large-scale afforestation campaign aims to strengthen environmental conservation and help Bangladesh address the adverse impacts of climate change. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will implement the program over a five-year period. In the first phase, 15 million saplings will be planted across 149 upazilas in 49 districts.
A gathering of distinguished guests was organized at the reserved forest to mark the launch of the initiative. Several cabinet members, state ministers, senior government officials, and environmental authorities attended the event.
Following the formation of the government under Tarique Rahman in February after the Thirteenth National Parliamentary Election, several social and development programs have already been introduced, including the Family Card, Farmer Card, and New Buds Sports Program. The tree plantation campaign is the latest step in implementing the government’s electoral commitments.