Uttarakhand Pirul Lao Paise Pao Yojana

Introduction

• Major fires have broken out in the forest of Uttarakhand Kuman and in Garhwal division, becoming one of the most common headlines especially during May-June.
• Unfortunately, it has become a routine for the locals, who dealt with this problem on the ground.
• There are a number of devastating fire incidents that were reported by the Uttarakhand government every year but…
• The efforts made by the government to curb these fires are insufficient.
• As a result, this year around 1300 acres of forest land have been affected by forest fires.
• Usually, forest fires are caused by the dry pine leaves.
• These pine foliage, also called 'pirul' in local language, are highly flammable.
• Excessive heat or even a slight spark can ignite these leaves, and in no time this fire escalates and spreads rapidly throughout the forests.
• Such fires cause huge damage not only to the environment but also to the property, flora, fauna and other.
• The pine trees, which cover almost every part of Uttarakhand, were planted by the British government during their reign.
• As per the report, these pine trees produce 1.8 million tons of pirul across the state every year.
• However, to prevent such fires the government has also taken some steps to manage this foliage.
• Recently, pirul has been used as a raw material to operate a 25 kw power plant installed in Uttarkashi.
• For this, the government purchases pirul from the individuals at 3 rupees per kg.
• However, this price is not enough to incentivize people to take the risk and collect pirul from the forest.
• Therefore, the government has decided to launch a new initiative called the 'Pirul Lao-Paise Pao' mission.
• Under this mission, the government has decided to purchase pirul @ 50 Rs per kg.
• People can submit these pirul at the Pirul collection center installed by the government.
• The scheme is open for all, so anyone can collect these foliage and take the benefit of the mission.
• At these collection centers, staff will collect the pirul and weigh it.
• The amount of benefit, as per the weight of collected pirul, will be credited directly into the bank account of individuals.
• The collected pirul will then be transported to industries that use such pirul as a raw material.
• Not many but yes there are some benefits of such pine foliage.
• It can be used for making beds for animals, mixing with cow dung, it can be used as a fertilizer, and also utilized for packaging.
• For the success of Pirul Lao-Paise Pao mission , the government outlayed a corpus of Rs 50 crore.
• For its successful implementation, Pollution Control Board of Uttarakhand adjudged its nodal agency.

Benefits of Scheme

• The following benefits will be available under Uttarakhand Pirul Laao-Paise Pao Scheme: -
  • The government will buy Pirul at the rate of Rs 50.
  • Collection of pirul from the forest will contribute to reducing forest fires.

Eligibility Criteria

• No guidelines have been issued by the government for participating in the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pirul Lao Paise Pao Scheme. However, the scheme is open to all residents of Uttarakhand, and every person is eligible to participate.
  

Documents Required

• Those who want to participate in the mission launched by the Uttarakhand government may submit their following documents: -
  • Aadhaar Card.
  • Applicants bank account details.
  • Mobile Number.
  • Photograph.
  • Residence proof.
  • Other documents as asked during the pirul submission.
    

How to apply

• The "Pirul Lao-Paise Pao" Scheme is a latest initiative by the government of Uttarakhand.
• However, upon its release, the government has not issued any guidelines for the mission.
• Therefore, the application process for the scheme has not been specified by the government.
• However, you can participate in the scheme by visiting the Panchayat or Pirul Collection Center located near you.
• Under this scheme, individuals will collect Pirul from the forest and submit it to these Pirul collection canters.
• Upon weighing the pirul, the concerned officials present in these centres will collect your details.
• During details, they may also ask you to present some of your documents.
• Post this process, the nodal department as directed by the government, Pollution Control board, will deposit the amount based on the weight of the pirul received.

Important Link

• Pollution Control Board of Uttarakhand Official Website.

Contact Details

• Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board Contact number: 0135-2976157
• Uttarakhand pollution Control Board Helpdesk: msukpcb@yahoo.com
• Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board
  Gaura Devi Bhawan, 46 B IT Park Sahastradhara,
  Dehradun, Uttarakhand