New Delhi, Sept 5: Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said his government will carry out a massive plantation drive of planting on a single day on September 17. One crore saplings will be planted across the state on the occasion.
Over 50 lakh people have already registered their names for the programme.
Incidentally, September 17 is also the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There has been no official word whether the event is being organized to coincide with Modi’s birthday.
“We are making all-out preparations for planting one crore saplings on a single day on September 17 and are on the verge of creating six to seven world records,” Sarma said on the sidelines of a function here on Monday.
The Chief Minister said for the state government’s massive plantation drive of planting one crore saplings on a single day, more than 50 lakh people have registered their names on the application created for the same.
Earlier, Sarma lauded the initiative of an Assam-based NGO to plant one billion trees in the northeast, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. The Balipara Foundation has joined hands with Conservation International to restore one million hectare of land in the Eastern Himalayas by planting over one billion trees.
The initiative is being called ‘Great People’s Forest’.
Sarma interacted with leaders, conservationists, supporters and other stakeholders on Monday evening and extended his unstinted support to boost the green canopy.
Terming the initiative as one of the significant conservation efforts in the history of South Asia, Chairman of Balipara Foundation, Ranjit Barthakur said they got inspiration from India’s hosting of the G20 Summit.
“It will involve communities across the northeastern region of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, who will unitedly work to protect and restore forests for the benefit of local livelihoods and the planet. The Eastern Himalayan region is of vast human, cultural and ecological significance to the planet,” said Ranjit Barthakur. (PTI)
