Indore creates world record, plants 1.1 million saplings in a day

Indore on Sunday set a new Guinness World Record in the category of "the most trees planted by a team in 24 hours" by planting more than 1.1 million saplings.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav stated that Indore, already the cleanest city in India and the economic capital of Madhya Pradesh, has now achieved the world record of planting more than 1.1 million saplings in a single day. The programme was organised by the state government.

"Indore is now number 1 in the world. My brothers and sisters of Indore, I congratulate you all for creating history in the plantation after cleanliness," Yadav said in a post on his official X account while sharing the Guinness World Records certificate and pictures of receiving it.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah participated in the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign and planted a sapling.

The "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 5 to mark World Environment Day. Under this drive, approximately 140 crore trees will be planted across the country, including 55 million in Madhya Pradesh, which Shah described as the 'lungs of Bharat.'

Indore, which has been recognised as the country's cleanest city for several years as per the Swachh Survekshan, will see 51 lakh saplings planted during this campaign, officials said.

The plantation drive was carried out at the BSF Academy's Revati Range, which was divided into nine zones and 100 sub-zones.

Officials said that besides 2,000 BSF jawans, more than 100 NRIs, NCC cadets from 50 schools, a large number of citizens, and members of various social organisations participated in this plantation drive.

According to the Guinness World Record website, the previous record for the most saplings planted in 24 hours was 9,21,730. This record was achieved by the Assam (India) government's Forest Department at Udalguri on September 13 and 14, 2023.

Shah said that besides long-lived trees like Banyan, Neem, and Peepal, trees with medicinal properties like Guava, Madhukamini, Karonda, Belpatra and Amla have also been planted.

It was the visionary idea of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who called upon the people to plant trees for the sake of our mothers and our mother earth and join the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, he said.

"When Modi ji started this campaign, no one had any idea that this campaign would become a people's movement. Today, people are paying respect to their Mother and Mother Earth by planting saplings, associated with this campaign," Shah said, adding that the tree plantation campaign is an apt reply to climate change.