Digital helpline helps citizens find forest nurseries and tree saplings in Gujarat

Gandhinagar

The Gujarat Forest Department on Thursday launched an in-house digital helpline to help citizens easily locate nearby forest nurseries and obtain saplings, as the state steps up tree plantation efforts under the nationwide ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign.

The new service enables users to access nursery locations, contact details and other forest-related services through a simple phone call or message. Citizens wishing to plant trees can dial 8320002000, after which the call is automatically disconnected and an SMS containing a web link is sent to their mobile phone. Opening the link provides details of the nearest Social Forestry nursery, including its contact information, Google Maps location and the mobile numbers of the concerned forest officials.

Alternatively, users can send “Hi” via SMS or WhatsApp to the same number to receive the web link. The portal also provides access to contact details of all Gujarat Forest Department nurseries, Range Forest Officers (RFOs), eco-tourism sites and several other forest-related services. Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia said the initiative had been introduced to make it easier for citizens across Gujarat to participate in tree plantation drives. “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the Forest Department is committed to making Gujarat greener by encouraging people across the state to plant trees.

A simple arrangement has been made to ensure that citizens can easily obtain saplings from nearby Forest Department nurseries. The Social Forestry wing of the Forest Department has raised 11.80 crore saplings for distribution to citizens,” Modhwadia added. The initiative complements Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, which encourages public participation in expanding the country’s green cover.

Minister of State for Forest and Environment, Pravin Mali, said the digital service had been developed as part of a citizen-centric approach to improve access to forest department services. “Under this citizen-centric initiative of the Forest Department, the Gujarat Forest Department has launched an in-house digital helpline system. It has proved helpful in connecting people across the state with the appropriate forest officials for assistance and grievance redressal,” Mali added.

The department said the service has received a positive public response since its launch and currently handles around 30 to 40 calls every day. S. K. Srivastava, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Research and Training), said the platform had been designed to be flexible and could be updated quickly as required. “The key feature of this initiative is its dynamic digital platform. The platform can be quickly modified and updated according to requirements,” he added. According to the Forest Department, citizens can purchase high-quality saplings from any of its 453 nurseries across Gujarat at prices ranging from Rs 5 to 15, depending on the size of the plant.

Saplings grown in 15×25 cm and 10×20 cm polybags are distributed free of cost. R.K. Sugoor, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry), said, “Citizens wishing to obtain saplings free of charge or at concessional rates may contact the concerned Range Forest Officer (RFO) or Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) in their district.” The department also reminded citizens that wildlife rescue requests, complaints and other assistance related to forests can be sought through its toll-free 1926 helpline. Officials said both the digital helpline and the online platform have been developed and are being operated entirely in-house by the Forest Department without any additional expenditure, with the aim of improving public service delivery through technology.