Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday called for a balance between development and environmental conservation, describing climate change as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Addressing the 77th State Van Mahotsav-2026 at Harivansh Tana Bhagat Indoor Stadium in Khelgaon, Ranchi, he urged every citizen to plant at least one tree and take responsibility for its protection.
The CM, accompanied by his wife and MLA Kalpana Soren, inaugurated the programme by planting saplings, sending a message of environmental conservation and a greener future. He also flagged off three new departmental vehicles and honoured 20 Van Mitras and representatives of forest committees from different forest divisions for their outstanding contribution to forest conservation, biodiversity protection and community forest management.
Addressing the gathering, Soren said that safeguarding water, forests and land was essential for building a prosperous and environmentally balanced Jharkhand. He stressed that rapid industrialisation, mining, urbanisation and unplanned development had placed immense pressure on natural resources, making it imperative to strike a balance between economic growth and ecological preservation.
“Development can be meaningful only when it progresses in harmony with nature,” the Chief Minister said, adding that indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources had accelerated climate change and environmental degradation.
Highlighting the growing impact of climate change, Soren said its consequences were no longer confined to environmental concerns but were affecting agriculture, water resources, biodiversity and livelihoods. He pointed to increasing incidents of erratic rainfall, cloudbursts, prolonged droughts, heatwaves, lightning strikes and other natural disasters as evidence of changing climatic patterns.
The CM noted that the adverse effects of climate change extended beyond humans to wildlife and biodiversity. Soren emphasised that environmental protection was not the sole responsibility of the government but a collective social and moral obligation. He appealed to people to transform environmental conservation into a mass movement by actively participating in tree plantation, water conservation and biodiversity protection.
He announced that future plantation drives in Jharkhand would prioritise indigenous, fruit-bearing, medicinal and wildlife-friendly tree species suited to local ecological conditions. The government, he said, would also monitor the survival of saplings planted under various campaigns and continue recognising individuals and communities making significant contributions to environmental conservation.
During the event, the Chief Minister felicitated 20 Van Mitras and committee representatives from various forest divisions across the state for their exemplary work in forest protection, biodiversity conservation and community-based forest management.
Among those present were MLA Kalpana Soren, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department Secretary Abu Bakar Siddiqui, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Sanjeev Kumar, senior forest officials and other departmental officers.
