KOCHI: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday planted the 1,00,000th neem (aryaveppu) sapling on the campus of Rajagiri High School, Kalamassery, marking the culmination of a massive two-year-long tree-planting drive across Ernakulam district.
The environmental campaign was launched on June 5, 2023 — World Environment Day — when Industries Minister P Rajeeve planted the first sapling, with the mission to plant 1 lakh neem saplings across the district. Spearheaded by Sriman Narayanan’s ‘Ente Gramam Gandhi Jeevitham Mission’, based in Muppathadam, the initiative has now reached its green milestone.
The final phase of the campaign saw the planting of the remaining 12,000 saplings in the past few weeks in various parts of the district, ensuring the target was met before the next Environment Day cycle. “Ernakulam is one of the districts worst hit by air, water, and soil pollution. Neem, with its remarkable purifying and medicinal qualities, is an ideal choice to fight this environmental degradation,” said Sriman Narayanan, who leads the mission.
Known for its immunity-boosting and pest-repelling properties, neem tree is also believed to have benefits in post-Covid health management. The organisers focused on densely populated urban colonies, where both human and ecological health need urgent attention. The saplings were sourced from nurseries in Tamil Nadu.