MP: Swachh City Creates History By Roping 11 Lakh Saplings In 24 Hours, Bags Spot In Guinness Records

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Dangling the cleanest city tag for the past seven years in a row, Indore on Sunday took a major leap towards becoming a green city too with creating a world record by planting 11 lakh saplings in 24 hours as part of 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav received the certificate from a representative of Guinness World Records in the evening after thousands of Indoreans thronged Reoti Range and planted trees in names of their mothers.

* Reoti Range was divided into nine zones and 100 sub-zones where plantation took place

* More than 2k personnel of BSF take part in the campaign

Indore, which is famous for its cleanliness, food, good governance, cooperation and public participation, will now be known for Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam too This Swachh and Smart City will now be known as Green City too, Union home minister Amit Shah said earlier in the day. He also took part in the plantation drive in Indore and planted tree in the name of her mother on BSF campus in Reoti Range.

As standards of Guinness World Records, the plantation drive had to be completed within 24 hours. For the first 12 hours, pits had to be dug and then trees were to be planted in the following 12 hours. The exercise to dug pits had begun on Saturday evening which continued till 6 am on Sunday. Thereafter, plantation was done amid the presence of state s cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav at 6 am on Sunday. The plantation continued till 6 pm. The plantation week begun on July 7 with plantation of 11k saplings by saints. Indore is planting a total of 51 lakh saplings.

MP share s in India s forest cover is 12%: Shah

Calling Madhya Pradesh as lungs of the country , Union home minister Amit Shah here on Sunday said that the state s share in India s forest cover is 12 per cent. The MP has one of the highest forest cover in the country which stands at 31 per cent, he said addressing an event organised on the sidelines of the mega plantation drive in Indore. Shah said that 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' was an apt reply to challenges of climate change.

Development is taking place and we are enhancing facilities. Modi has asked us to look back and also work for the coming generation. The concern for environment has become important not just for the country. Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have reduced the level of ozone and created holes in its layer, Shah said. This has caused rise in temperatures. Climate change is being experienced. The drive launched by Modi is a suitable reply to this, he asserted.

Hindus worship trees as gods: CM

Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said that in Sanatan Dharma trees are regarded as deities and Hindus worship them. He stated that the PM s Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam has become a revolution. We in the state are planting 5.5 saplings. Indore is planting 51 lakh saplings, Bhopal 40 lakh and Ujjain 10 lakh saplings, he stated.

Urban development and housing minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said that plantation of 51 lakh saplings is not a one-time affair. We are going to plant 51 lakh saplings every year and make Indore a city with the highest green cover in the next five years, he said. Water resource minister Tulsiram Silawat, mayor Puhyamitra Bhargav, Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda were present on the occasion.