Indore goes green: City sets Guinness World Record for planting over 1.1 million saplings in a day

Indore, the cleanest city in India, has added another feather to its cap by setting a new Guinness World Record for "the most trees planted by a team in 24 hours." On Sunday, the city planted over 1.1 million saplings, surpassing the previous record of 921,730 set by Assam's Forest Department in September 2023.

This massive tree planting drive was part of the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' (One Tree in Mother's Name) campaign launched by the Prime Minister, and took place on July 13-14, 2024.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister joined the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" campaign, planting a sapling to support the initiative launched by Prime Minister on June 5, World Environment Day. This campaign was organised jointly by the Indore Hoteliers Association (IHA) and the Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) – HRAWI. It aims to plant approximately 140 crore trees across India, with 55 million designated for Madhya Pradesh, described as the 'lungs of Bharat.'

The plantation drive took place at the BSF Academy's Revati Range, divided into nine zones and 100 sub-zones. Participants included 2,000 BSF jawans, more than 100 NRIs, NCC cadets from 50 schools, and numerous citizens and social organisation members. According to the Guinness World Record website, the previous record of 921,730 saplings was set by Assam’s Forest Department in 2023.

Experts highlighted the variety of trees planted, including long-lived species like Banyan, Neem, and Peepal, as well as medicinal plants such as Guava and Amla.

Indore's accomplishment is expected to inspire similar efforts nationwide, contributing significantly to India's goal of increasing forest cover and combating climate change.