like a whiff of cool breeze amidst the burning environmental issues, the “Namami Devi Narmade” – Seva Yatra has drawn the attention of the whole world towards it. The Yatra which started from Amarkantak in Anuppur district on December 11, 2016 celebrated its ‘Shatak Divas’ at the 15th district Sehore on March 27. The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took part in the Yatra practically on every third day on an average which is a unique record in itself. Gyani Shri Dilip Singh and Dr. A.S. Bhalla of Gwalior along with 100 Sikh representatives will take part in the Jan-Samvad programme to be held in Nandner in Sehore district today.
The Yatra has so far covered a distance of 2465 kilometers in 99 days. This includes 48 development blocks, 591 villages and 409 gram panchayats. Nearly 16 lakh 88 thousand people took part in 591 Jan-Samvad programmes organized during the Yatra. About 1052 Up-Yatras merged with the main Yatra from nearby areas. So far 74 thousand and 174 Narmada Sevaks have got themselves registered on the website.
A number of famous personalities have taken part in the Yatra so far.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with several stalwarts took part in Jan-Samvad programmes organised at Ramghat-Amarkantak, Bondar and Karanjiya, Gadasarai, Dindori, Chabi, Ramnagar-Mandla, Ghansore-Seoni, Bargi Nagar Harduli-Jabalpur and other places.
Among those who have given their approval to take part in the Yatra in the coming days are Union Minister Uma Bharati, Jagatguru Shankaracharya Swaroopanand, Bhayyuji Maharaj, Popatrao Pawar, Swami Shanmukhanand, Kamalanand Maharaj, Sadguru Swami Krishnanand, Narmada litterateur Amritlal Vegad, Divyanand Teerth, Swami Satyamitranand, Gyan Swaroop Sanand, Swami Samvit Somgiri, Danseuse Sushri Sonal Mansingh, Pranav Pandya, Swami Muktanand, Swami Vidyanand Saraswati, Anna Hazare, Sushri Rohini Chaturvedi, Actor Manoj Bajpayee, Shri Bharat Bhushan Garg, Ghazal singer Talat Aziz, Padmabhushan Shri Vishwamohan Bhatt, Arun Jain, Actor Tom Alter, Swami Haribhakt Prayan Prakash, Satpal Maharaj, Acharya Dheerajanand Avdhut, Acharya Gunindranand Avdhut, singer Kailash Kher, UNICEF Chief louis Georges Arsenault, Sadhvi Mandakini, Musician Pandit Jasraj, Durga Jasraj etc.
So far there has been symbolic plantation of 37,349 saplings. Forest Department has started plantation in more than one lakh 44 thousand and 377 hectare area through one lakh 18 thousand and 85 agriculturist families in 16 districts of 882 villages on both banks of the Narmada.
Nearly 148 lakh saplings of Sagoun, Khamer, Siris, Bamboo, Anwala, Mahua, Neem, Jamun and Drum Stciks of more than three feet height are available in the research expansion nurseries. The Horticulture Department will plant 5000 saplings of fruit-bearing trees in the year 2016-17 and 20,000 each in 2016-17 and the year 2018-19 respectively.