The Ministry of Education and Sports in cooperation with the Indian Embassy in Vientiane organized a tree planting event to mark the 150th anniversary of Planting of Trees in Mahatma Gandhi’s Memory and Laos’ National Arbour Day or Tree Planting Day (Jun 1) at the Lao-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Vientiane.
The event aimed to encourage people to plant trees and contribute to the production of food, maintain ecological balance, improve air quality, and the protection of natural resources including water, soil and wildlife.
It also demonstrated the cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Embassy of India to the Lao PDR, according to Minister of Education and Sports Phout Simmalavong.
In India, the Van Mahotsav or the Forest Festival is celebrated annually for a full week, from the 1st to 7th July. It aims to encourage people to plant more and more trees.
“As we plant trees here today, it reminds me of a news article published in the Vientiane Times a few days ago stating that the “Lao Forestry Ministry targets planting of 35 million trees this year as part of efforts to create more green areas and achieve forest cover of 70 % by 2025,” said Indian Ambassador to the Lao PDR Dinkar Asthana. “It gives me immense satisfaction that I would also be planting a tree at the LIEDC premises and contributing towards the green initiative launched by the government of the Lao PDR.”
Source: Lao News Agency