Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Saturday, kicked off the Vriksharopan Jan Abhiyan-2023 from Bijnor by planting a sapling of Kalpavriksha on the bank of the river Ganga.
Launching the statewide massive plantation drive, the chief minister distributed saplings to schoolchildren and called upon every individual to plant saplings extensively to save the environment.
Earlier, the chief minister laid the foundation stone of the Government Sanskrit Inter College at Vidur Kuti. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of various development projects worth Rs 445 crore.
Addressing a gathering, the chief minister pointed out that Bijnor has a long history dating back thousands of years.
“This is the sacred meditation place of Mahatma Vidur, where Ganga’s son Bhishma also spent his childhood. This is the land where Lord Krishna preferred to eat ‘sarson ka saag’ (a leafy vegetable) at Mahatma Vidur’s home to Duryodhana’s ‘malpua’, because Mahatma Vidur is a symbol of righteousness and public welfare,” he said.
Congratulating the people of Uttar Pradesh for the tree plantation mass campaign, Yogi said, “With the planting of 30 crore saplings as part of the state’s extensive plantation campaign, UP is setting a new record today.”
Stating that Bijnor is the land of India’s history, the chief minister said, “It is a matter of pride for me that I have got the opportunity to take forward the tree plantation campaign of 2023 from this holy place.”
On August 15, five crore more saplings would be planted in the state, the chief minister said.
On this occasion, state Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Forest Minister Arun Kumar Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) Manoj Singh, Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Mamta Sanjeev Dubey, and former minister Ashok Kataria, among others, were present.