Odisha to plant record 75 lakh saplings in single day on Prime Minister’s 75th birthday

Bhubaneswar, Dt. 16.09.2025 : In commemoration of the 75th birthday of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the national tree plantation campaign “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0”, 1.5 crore saplings will be planted across the country in a single day.
The government of Odisha has set an ambitious target of planting more than 75 lakh saplings in a single day as its contribution to this green initiative. This will help make the state greener and more climate-resilient, said Forest, Environment & Climate Change, Shri Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia, while chairing a review meeting held today at Lok Seva Bhawan.
He explained that trees are very important for life on Earth. They help reduce pollution, improve the environment, stop climate change, and protect all living beings. He added that just planting saplings is not enough — we must also take good care of them so they grow into healthy trees with special focus on industrial areas like Jharsuguda, Talcher, and Kalinga Nagar, and places with less rainfall or dry land.

Last year, Odisha planted 6.72 crore saplings under the same campaign and ranked 4th in the country. This year, under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, the state has set a bigger target of 7.5 crore saplings. In the past 45 days, the department has already planted 4.7 crore saplings. Minister Shri Singhkhuntia thanked all forest officials and staff for their hard work and encouraged them to continue with the same dedication to make Odisha more beautiful.
The government is inviting everyone to take part in this campaign — including panchayats, school and college students, youth, forest protection and eco groups, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, women self-help groups, volunteers, and officials from various departments like Panchayati Raj, Agriculture, Industry, Women & Child Development, etc.

All participants are requested to upload photos of their plantation activities on the “Meri LiFE” portal, so the progress can be tracked easily. Shri Satyabrata Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department, has asked all district and field officials to complete the plantation between sunrise and sunset on 17th September. He also reminded everyone not to forget to upload the data on the portal. The meeting was attended by Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Shri Suresh Pant, CAMPA CEO Shri G. Rajesh, senior officers, and Divisional Forest Officers from all districts.