New Delhi, Jul 2 (IANS): In a bid to reduce air pollution in the national capital, the Delhi government is all set to launch a campaign to plant as many as thirty-one lakh plants, trees, and shrubs across the city by July 26.

This holds significance as the national capital records high-level air pollution throughout the year. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, "We will launch a campaign from July 10 to July 26 during which 31 lakh saplings will be planted."

The 'Podhe Lagao, Paryavaran Bachao' (Plant Trees, Save Environment) campaign will be launched from the National Highway (NH) 20 near ITO.

He claimed that the green cover of the national capital is increasing in the past few years. In 2017, there was 299 square kilometres of green cover, which increased to 325 square kilometres in 2019 and will further enlarge to 350 square kilometres in 2021, the Environment Minister said.

During the 17-day campaign, twenty lakh big trees and eleven lakh shrubs will be planted, he said.

Shrubs will be put to the ground at the side of the roads to reduce the dust pollution which is the major contributor to increase in PM10 particles, which are too small to be filtered out of the body.

The 45-year-old leader said that the Delhi government is going to plant more than double of the target set by the Central government.

"Out of 31 lakhs, 18 lakh will be planted by various departments of the Delhi government, 9,40,000 will be sowed by Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Municipal Corporation will plant two lakh plants and Delhi Metro, Northern Railways and BSES will also place two lakh plants," he said.

Dehradun's Forest Research Institute will act as a third-party audit team to oversee how many trees and shrubs planted last year have sustained.