Overview

• Mallikarjun Kharge condemned successive governments for failing to enforce the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the Forest Rights Act and the 2023 amendment, warning of looming shortages of water and clean air
• He cited a recent report showing India’s forest cover at 25.17% and Karnataka’s at just over 21%, well below the 33% target deemed essential for ecological balance
• The Karnataka Forest Department kicked off Vanamahotsava-2025 under the Hariru Kalyana Karnataka initiative with a goal to plant three crore saplings statewide and 25–28 lakh in Kalyana Karnataka
• Officials have set a survival target of 2.5 crore saplings and will implement geo-tagging along with third-party audits to ensure accountability and track tree growth
• Kharge urged ministers, authorities and citizens to join large-scale afforestation drives to curb deforestation’s impact on climate change, water security and public health