'Green India Challenge': Over 17 Cr Trees Planted In Telangana To Increase State’s Green Cover

Many celebrity politicians, sportspersons and industrialists have also joined the initiative launched by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP Joginpally Santosh Kumar.

More than 17 crore trees have been planted in Telangana under a campaign called "Green India Challenge" and it claims to have brought about an unprecedented increase in the green cover of the state.  Many celebrity politicians, sportspersons, and industrialists have also joined the initiative launched by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP Joginpally Santosh Kumar.

According to reports, the campaign started in 2018 and is carried out on the public partnership basis.

As part of the campaign, translocation of giant trees was also carried out after they were damaged in the government's road widening programme. The effort has saved around 800 massive and over 100-year-old trees from being cut down in the highway widening in Zaheerabad district, sources said.

Famous personalities including actor Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Tamil actor Vijay actress Sumaya Reddy, Shankar Mahadevan, Boxing Champion Nikhat Zareen and others have already participated in the Green India Challenge and have planted saplings in Hyderabad and other cities of Telangana.

In June, Salman Khan visited Hyderabad and participated in Green India Challenge by planting a sapling and urged all his fans to plant trees to protect the environment. Salman planted a sapling at Ramoji Film City where he was shooting for his upcoming movie "Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali".

Santosh Kumar thanked the Bollywood star for accepting his request and joining the Green India Challenge.

Last year, Aamir Khan had also participated in the 'Green India Challenge' by planting saplings in Hyderabad. The lead actor of 'Lal Singh Chaddha' with his co-star Naga chaitanya and Rajya Sabha MP Joginapally Santosh Kumar planted the saplings at the old airport at Begumpet.

Other celebrities like Amitabh Bacchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Shruti Haasan, Shraddha Kapoor, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Prabhas, Krishna, Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, Rajamouli, Samanta, Pullela Gopichand, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza have participated in the challenge till now.

Earlier this year, the campaign even reached the national capital with one lakh saplings being planted in the city. 

Several MPs from different political parties, including YSRCP Parliamentary Party chief Vijayasai Reddy, Jairam Ramesh of Congress, Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Anil Desai of Shiv Sena, took part in the programme.