New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS): Promoting afforestation to mitigate the effects of climate change, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday launched a programme to encourage school students across the country to plant trees.

A total of 1000 schools are participating in the 'School Nursery Yojana' under which officials of the environment ministry will set up nurseries in the premises of the participating schools and teach students between classes six and nine the importance of planting trees, the minister said.

"We are teaching students to sow the seeds and grow the plants in nurseries created in their schools as part of practical exercise for biology classes and extra-curricular activities for students of other streams, bringing them closer to nature," Javadekar said.

"At the end of the year after they give their annual exams, the plant will be handed over to them along with the results. This is growing with nature and understanding it better. This is mitigating the climate change challenge," the minister said further.

Javadekar said an estimated 5000 schools will participate in the project next year while the figure is expected to reach 10,000 in 2017.

The minister distributed saplings to all the participating schools that were made available by the forest department of the Delhi government and Delhi Parks and Garden Society.

The ministry would provide all essential facilities for raising the saplings for the use of students and schools under this scheme. The schools would be encouraged to take up composting, rain water harvesting and water recycling to inculcate best practices in young minds.