In a letter to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on September 16, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed the Assam government’s mega plantation drive, stating it will boost the country’s mission for clean and green growth, besides providing long-term benefits of environmental protection and improving the health of people.
Modi said that the plantation drive is a “commendable effort” to improve the environment and create a more sustainable future for Assam. He also said that the drive is in line with the government’s commitment to making India a “green and clean” nation.
PM wrote: “The idea of planting one crore saplings across Assam is admirable and laudable.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed the Assam government’s mega plantation drive, stating it will boost the country’s mission for clean and green growth, besides providing long-term benefits of environmental protection and improving the health of people.
He said the exercise will also further enhance the green cover of the scenic state.
In a letter to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the state’s ‘Amrit Brikshya Andolan’, the PM wrote: “The idea of planting one crore saplings across Assam is admirable and laudable.”
The letter was shared by Sarma on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.
Modi said several references in the nation’s culture and literature reflect the importance of trees and forests, and quoted a couple of Sanskrit lines on how trees purify the air and help in driving away diseases.
He maintained that bringing together ‘prakriti’ (nature) and ‘pragati’ (development) has been the hallmark of the development model of “New India”.
“While we have been the fastest growing economy, we have also been perhaps the only major nation to meet committed climate targets,” the PM said.
It may be mentioned that Assam is on the verge of making nine world records of which four new world records will be created while breaking five existing world records.
The new records will include:
- Largest line/spiral of sapling to be made on September 9 at Veterinary Ground in Guwahati
- Most pledges taken to plant trees and protect them. So far, 47,34,465 people have registered themselves in the Amritv Brikshya Andolan.
- Largest nature conservation lesson in online mode on September 11
- Most trees planted by a team in 24 hours on September 14 in Udalguri.
Meanwhile, the existing records that are on the verge to be broken by the state government are:
- Largest number of seedlings distributed in one day at one venue on September 10 at Veterinary Ground in Guwahati. This will break the record of Uttar Pradesh which distributed 76,824 seedlings.
- Most trees planted in one hour on September 15 in Dibrugarh. This will break the record of Turkey where 3,03,150 saplings were planted in one hour.
- Largest planted tree mosaic on September 16 in Digboi breaking the record of Turkey having 21825.74 square meters.
- Largest photo album of people planting trees on September 17 breaking the record of Turkey. The registered individuals will upload photographs of them planting trees on the portal.
- Most trees planted by a team of 100 in an hour on September 17 in Sivasagar. This will break the record of Bhutan that planted 49,672 saplings.