BHUBANESWAR: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi will turn 75 on September 17, the state government has planned to celebrate his birthday by planting 75 lakh trees under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign.
Announcing this during a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan on Thursday, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the government has targeted to plant 7.5 crore trees by the end of September under the national campaign launched by the prime minister on World Environment Day last year.
“The prime minister has made many significant contributions to the country in the last 11 years and his love and commitment for Odisha is no less. He had visited Odisha last year on his birthday, and launched the Subhadra Yojana to empower the women of the state,” Majhi said.
“As a mark of respect to the PM’s commitment to Odisha’s development and his goodwill towards the people here, the state will plant 75 lakh trees on a single day on September 17 under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign. This will be a gift from the people of the state to the PM,” the chief minister said.
The second edition ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ was launched on June 5 and will run till September 30. “The state has exceeded its target by planting 6.72 crore trees last year, securing fourth place in the country. This year, the target is to plant 7.5 crore trees, including 75 lakh trees in a single day, which will be a record,” Majhi said.
He further stressed the role of Forest and Agriculture besides various other government departments, PSUs, NGOs, youth organisations and voluntary institutions in making the programme successful and more inclusive. “Merely planting trees is not enough, it is essential to ensure their 100 per cent survival with proper case and maintenance. Every government employee and citizen should take responsibility for protecting and nurturing the trees after they are planted,” the chief minister said.