Kapil Sharma, founder of the environmental organisation SayTrees and a native of Raipur received a special mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme for his outstanding contribution to environmental conservation. SayTrees began its journey in 2007 with small, volunteer-led plantation drives in Bengaluru. Since then, it has evolved into a leading national movement promoting nature-based solutions across 13 Indian states and 2 Union Territories.

 

The organisation has so far planted over one crore trees and is actively working with more than 20,000 farmers to promote agroforestry practices that enhance livelihoods and create new sources of non-crop income. Under the campaign ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam,’ SayTrees has planted one lakh trees across Raipur, Rajnandgaon, and Kanker districts of Chhattisgarh.

 

The foundation has also restored more than 50 lakes, resulting in the conservation of nearly five billion litres of fresh water. SayTrees is credited as a pioneer in introducing Miyawaki forests in India, having developed over 150 such dense urban forests across different cities. The organisation continues to call upon individual volunteers and corporate entities to join hands in the collective effort to combat climate change.