Bhubaneswar: In a massive green initiative marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday, the Odisha government announced that over 32.85 lakh saplings had been planted across the state by noon on Wednesday.
The state aims to plant 75 lakh saplings between sunrise and sunset as part of the ongoing ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign.
The plantation drive is being conducted under the campaign’s second phase and is linked to the Central Government’s ‘MeriLiFE’ portal. Participants across Odisha are uploading photographs and videos of their planting activities, which are being tracked in real time.
“The progress of the plantation drive is being seamlessly monitored through the portal. We urge all participants to upload images of their efforts,” a forest department official said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi took part in the drive at Ekamra College campus, while Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan participated from the Sainik School campus in Sambalpur. Pradhan stated that over 4.5 lakh saplings will be planted in Sambalpur alone during the ‘Seva Paksha’ observance.
BJP Vice-President and MP Baijayant Panda joined the plantation drive at Pentha village in Kendrapara district.
Alongside the plantation event, CM Majhi also joined a cleanliness campaign under the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ initiative at Bhubaneswar’s Master Canteen area, where senior BJP leaders, including state BJP President Manmohan Samal and BJP in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar, also took part, wielding brooms alongside party workers.
Calling September 17 a moment of “national pride,” Majhi recalled PM Modi’s previous visit to Odisha.
“Last year on this day, the Prime Minister celebrated his birthday in Odisha by eating ‘kheer’ prepared by a tribal woman in Gadakana. He also launched the ‘Subhadra Yojana’ that day,” Majhi said.
He emphasised that initiatives like ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ and ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ reflect the government’s broader vision for a clean environment, women’s health, and family welfare.
