Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday inaugurated the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ Mahavriksharopan Abhiyan-2024 at the Biodiversity Park in Atal Nagar, Nava Raipur. The campaign aims to plant 4 crore trees across 33 districts in Chhattisgarh, encouraging citizens to plant a tree in the name of their mother.

 

The inauguration ceremony began with Chief Minister Sai planting a Peepal sapling after performing a traditional puja. He released the campaign banner and toured the plantation area in an open gypsy, encouraging participants. In a robust display of community participation, school children, CRPF personnel, police officers, and forest department employees joined Sai in planting 20,000 trees at the Biodiversity Park. Presiding over the program, Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap emphasized the importance of planting and protecting trees in honor of mothers, as called upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, along with other cabinet ministers, participated in the tree planting ceremony, each planting a tree in the name of their mother. Sai highlighted the critical role of this campaign in combating climate change. He noted that with increasing summer heat and record-breaking temperatures, need for more trees is urgent. He appealed to all schools to have children plant a tree in the name of their mothers in their school premises and announced plans to urge participants of the Mahtari Vandan Yojana to do the same. The campaign’s first day saw the Forest Department plant 6 lakh saplings across the state, including species like Peepal, Neem, Harra Baheda Amla, and other medicinal plants. The initiative aims to mitigate heat waves and improve the environment, addressing the severe impact of rising temperatures and heat-related fatalities. Forest Minister Kashyap lauded the campaign’s broad participation and the symbolic importance of planting trees in mothers’ honor, aligning with PM Modi’s national call. The programme’s success in its initial phase sets a promising precedent for achieving the ambitious target of 4 crore trees, fostering environmental stewardship and community involvement.