'Pirul Lao-Paise Pao' campaign has reduced forest fires, provided income to villagers: Uttarakhand CM Dhami

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 15 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday said that the 'Pirul Lao-Paise Pao' campaign has significantly reduced forest fires and provided income to villagers living near the forest area.
"One of the main reasons for forest fires is Pirul (leaves from the Pine Tree). For its disposal, we are running a campaign along with the common people. Under the campaign 'Pirul Lao-Paise Pao', a large number of people are collecting Pirul and selling it to the government at a rate of Rs 50 per kg," CM Dhami said in a post on X.
https://x.com/pushkardhami/status/1790661645993459716
"Its widespread effect is also being seen. At present, due to this campaign, the incidents of forest fires have reduced significantly and the villagers living near the forest area are also earning income," CM Dhami added in the post.
The Chief Minister launched the Pirul Lao-Paise Pao campaign in the Rudraprayag district on May 8, in light of the forest fire situations across the state.
Uttarakhand starts experiencing forest fires in mid-February when the trees shed dry leaves and the soil loses moisture due to a temperature rise, and this continues till mid-June.
Under this campaign, to prevent forest fires, the Pirul lying in the forest will be collected by the local villagers and youth, weighed and then stored at the designated Pirul Collection Centre.
According to the weight, the amount will be immediately sent online to the bank account of that person at the rate of Rs 50 per kg.
Pirul collection centres will be opened by the Tehsildar in their respective areas under the supervision of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate.
The Pirul received by the villagers will be weighed and stored safely, and the Pirul will be packed, processed and made available to the industries.
The District Magistrate and Divisional Forest Officer will make efforts on the ground to obtain maximum Pirul.
This mission will be operated by the Pollution Control Board for which a corpus fund of Rs 50 crores will be kept separately and the villagers will be given the money for Pirul from this fund.
The cooperatives, Yuva Mangal Dal, and Van Panchayat will also be included in this campaign.
"Pirul" is a local term in Uttarakhand for products made from pine needles of Pine Trees, also locally called Chid Trees.
Pine needles, also known as Pirul, can catch fire quickly and are a major cause of forest fires in pine forests.
Pine needles are acidic, have little use, and fall in large quantities that take a long time to decompose.
They can spread for kilometres and only need a spark to ignite.
In Uttarakhand, an estimated 1.8 million tonnes of pirul are produced each year, which can cause significant damage to the environment and forest wealth.