GARIABAND,CG: In Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh, newly married, pregnant and infant mothers were linked to nutrition campaign through planting 85,000 saplings. It has been registered as record in the Golden Book.

The idea behind it was that they will protect these plants just as mothers raise their babies with skill and affection. Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Rajwade had appealed to plant fruit trees. The District Collector Deepak Aggarwal, the ground staff of the Women and Child Development Department got involved in the work. In a single day, 17,000 women set a record by planting 85,000 fruit trees. The plantation have been done in all the Anganwadis and nutrition centres.

Through MNREGA, fruit plants prepared in various nurseries of the district were distributed free of cost and made available to women. Under the programme, saplings were planted in Anganwadis and nutrition centres instead of in open spaces. So that they can get 100% care and protection. The women planted five saplings each of mango, guava, lemon, jackfruit and green gram. They also took the responsibility of taking care of them like a small child and to protect and nurture them.

Chhattisgarh Head of Golden Book of World Records, Sonal Sharma congratulated Collector Deepak Aggarwal for the innovative initiative by presenting him the World Record trophy, medal and citation in the presence of the media.

Sharma said that this is the first program of planting of more than 85,000 saplings in a single day by pregnant, lactating and newly married women. Due to which the name of the district has been included in the Golden Book of World Records.

Aggarwal said that the objective of the program is to save women and children from malnutrition and to give the message of environmental protection. Emphasizing on saving more trees than planting them, he said that women are determined and involved in the campaign to protect the plants planted under the programme. Just as people invest in financial savings to secure the future of their children, in the same way, a program of investment in nutrition has been launched with the aim of taking care of the future children and making them well-nourished. The women planted 5 plants each in their gardens and took a pledge to take care of them like their own children. These plants will provide fruits in future, which will help women and children to overcome malnutrition.

Aggarwal expressed his gratitude to the women of the district for their participation in creating a world record by planting trees under the Nutrition Investment Programme.