The Delhi Cabinet has approved establishment of a Delhi Parks and Gardens Society to give a new thrust to greening activities in the Capital. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit explained that the Society would act as a unified agency for ensuring planned and proper greening activities in Delhi. She said it would also promote greening of local parks and gardens. The objectives of the society include creation of a green environment in Delhi, identification of vacant spaces for taking up greening projects, working with local bodies, taking up projects for planting trees and shrubs in avenues, involvement of residents' welfare associations in maintaining parks and gardens, giving incentives to non-government organisations for taking up greening activities, releasing funds to RWAs and NGOs, holding competitions for encourage greening, and maintaining nurseries and parks. The Government claimed that while the green cover in Delhi has grown 10 times from 32 sq. km. to 320 sq. km. in the past nine years, it is essential that the movement is sustained. As for the society, it would seek to create an institutional framework for making the citizens participants in the greening drive. The L-G would be the Chief Patron of the society while the Chief Minister, the Development Minister and the Mayor would be its patrons.