1.5 million volunteers from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh planted more than 66 million tree saplings in just 12 hours along the Narmada river, and thus set the new Guinness World Record.
In July 2016, 800,000 people from the state of Uttar Pradesh set the record by planting 50 million trees in one day. The record made everyone happy, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh said:
“I am extremely proud to happily share that people of Madhya Pradesh successfully planted 6.63 Crore saplings today.”
One crore is 10 million. The aim of this event was to raise awareness for the “make India green again” project. At the Paris climate conference, India pledged to increase forest cover to 95 million hectares (235 million acres) by year 2030 and invests $6.2 billion to reach this goal.
Mother Nature Network added:
“Volunteers planted more than 20 different species of trees in two dozen areas along the river basin to increase the saplings’ chances of survival. It’s not just about getting the trees in the ground, many people have pointed out on social media. They are concerned that the trees won’t be watered and cared for, now that they’ve been planted.
Sub Divisional Magistrate Madhya Pradesh addressed those concerns on Facebook:
“Aftercare is definitely more important and we hope to ensure that as well with the efforts of all those who planted the tree. It is not a government initiative alone, it is the commitment of children, youth and active junta of MP!”
Chouhan pointed out:
“I am greatly indebted to all who are planting trees today. We will be contributing significantly to saving nature. By participating in a plantation, people are contributing their bit to climate change initiatives and saving the environment.”
