GUWAHATI: The statewide Amrit Brikhya Andolan that began on September 9, 2023, successfully concluded today with the plantation of one crore saplings of commercial trees in the state. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the plantation drive by planting a sapling of the Ashoka tree on the Janata Bhawn premises this morning.
Speaking to the media, the Chief Minister said, “We will plant one crore saplings in the state today and set a new world record. Next year, our target will be to plant eight crore seedlings: three crore in non-forested areas and five crore in forest areas. And our target in 2025 will be planting 10 crore: five crore each in non-forested and forested areas.”
On the drive, the Chief Minister said that the Amrit Brikshya Andolan would increase the forest cover in the state, besides boosting the local economy as mostly commercial trees would be sown during the drive.”
On the survival of the saplings, he expressed his hope that around 80 percent of the planted saplings would survive, as the saplings planted on private land would get care from households and the Forest Department would take care of the saplings planted on community land.
The Chief Minister said, “We have attempted to script nine records since September 9. Though we have received no communication from the Guinness Book of World Records, we have set the records. On September 9, we have a 22.22-km spiral binding of 3,22,444 saplings at the Veterinary Field at Khanapara in Guwahati. This is set to script a new record. The distribution of 3,22,444 saplings from a single place on September 10 is also a record set to break the existing record in UP. On September 11, our online class on plantation was posted on YouTube, with 70,490 people logging in and viewed by 7.50 lakh till now. This record is set to break the existing record for Japan. We have broken the existing record in Pakistan by planting 8.81 lakh saplings in 24 hours at Bairabkunda in the Udalguri district. We have also broken the record of Turkey by planting 3.31 lakh saplings in one hour at Abhoipur Gaon in Naharkatia. At Margherita, we have scripted a record by creating imagery through the spiral binding of 6.32 lakh saplings over 0.85 hectares of land, representing the map of Assam. Today we made an attempt to break the Bhutanese record by planting the maximum number of saplings by 1,600 women at Sivasagar. We have also made another attempt to break the existing record of Turkey by producing the largest photo album by uploading planted saplings.”
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