TN Budget: Botanical garden to be set up near Chennai in partnership with London-based Kew Gardens

Other announcements in the environment and forests sector include a Children’s Nature Park through remodeling the Guindy Children’s Park, a Forest Commission, a Green Climate Change Fund and Project Nilgiri Tahr

The Tamil Nadu government will set up a botanical garden at a cost of ₹300 crore near Chennai in partnership with Kew Gardens of London. For this, a detailed project report will be prepared, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan announced in the State Legislative Assembly on Friday.

The government has also decided to set up a Children’s Nature Park at an estimated cost of ₹20 crore, which would house birds, butterflies and animals by remodeling the Guindy Children’s Park to generate awareness about forests and wildlife among children from a young age. A detailed project report will be prepared this year, the Minister said, while presenting the budget for 2022-23.

The government will also set up a Forest Commission to recommend policy changes needed in forest conservation, expansion of green cover, involvement of tribal people in forest management, prevention of man-animal conflict, capacity building and modernisation initiatives in the Forest Department. 

The State government will set up a ‘Tamil Nadu Green Climate Change Fund’ to fund climate change initiatives, mitigation and greening projects. The Fund would mobilise necessary resources from various sources including development finance institutions and international climate funds.

For the conservation of Tamil Nadu’s State animal, expansion of its habitat and to spread awareness among the public, the government will implement ‘Project Nilgiri Tahr’ with an initial allocation of ₹10 crore, the Minister said.

Eco-tourism sites would be developed at Sethumadai in Coimbatore district, Manavanur and Thadiyan Kudisai in Dindigul district and and Yelagiri in Tirupattur district in the public-private partnership mode.

A total sum of ₹849.21 crore has been alllocated to the Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department in this Budget.