As part of the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam – 2.0” campaign, Odisha accomplished a historic first on Wednesday by planting approximately 1.5 crore saplings in under 12 hours, marking the 75th anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birth.
In a formal statement, the Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Department called this accomplishment a historic and extraordinary effort that has drawn attention from all over the world.
“Odisha has shown that its people can achieve even the highest goals when they are unified by a common goal. The people of Odisha have once again shown their incredible capability, from constructing the famous Konark Sun Temple to currently setting a global record in environmental action. A modest act of planting seedlings flowered into a spectacular movement of hope and harmony on September 17, 2025, which will be recognized as a milestone in both Indian and global history, the statement continues.
This historic occasion, which marked PM Modi’s 75th birthday, was held under the auspices of the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam – 2.0” campaign.
Mohan Charan Majhi, the chief minister of Odisha, had urged the populace to plant 75 lakh trees between sunrise and sunset. The response was tremendous; in just half a day, approximately 1.5 crore seedlings were planted, much exceeding the goal. In addition to achieving an incredible number of plantations by 430 p.m. on Wednesday, Odisha also set records for the world. Key government departments, officials, NGOs, panchayat blocks, and district headquarters all actively participated in the major plantation push. The campaign became a true people’s movement as a result of the encouragement given to everyone throughout the state to participate.
Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia, the minister of forests, environment, and climate change, sent his sincere appreciation and pointed out that Odisha is gradually transforming promises into thriving woods, optimism into shade, and activism into long-lasting life.
To put Odisha’s accomplishment in perspective, Madhya Pradesh set a record with 11 lakh saplings planted in a single day, while Assam set a record with 9.26 lakh saplings.
These are greatly outweighed by Odisha’s amazing achievement, which has created a new humanitarian record that will motivate future generations. While the numbers are outstanding, Minister Singkhuntia underlined that the greater vision mattered most — developing a cleaner, greener, more attractive, prosperous, and self-reliant Odisha for future generations.
By 4:30 p.m., 1,49,11,339 seedlings had been planted throughout 30 districts in an impressive demonstration of environmental dedication. This enormous endeavor, which covers 71,924 plantation areas, demonstrates the state’s strong push for afforestation and ecological restoration.
With an astounding 14,21,618 seedlings planted, Sundergarh district is in the lead of the plantation push. Keonjhar is in third place with 10,42,927 seedlings, while Koraput, with 11,01,624 seedlings, is in second place. With 9,17,659 and 7,67,510 seedlings planted, respectively, Mayurbhanj and Kalahandi districts rank fourth and fifth. With 1,31,885 seedlings by 4:30 p.m., Deogarh had the smallest plantation at the bottom of the list.
Read More