Bengal: Annapurna Yojana beneficiaries plant a tree as ‘birthday gift’ for PM Modi

Kolkata, Sep 16 (IANS) Ahead of the nationwide campaign to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday on Thursday, the beneficiaries of various public welfare schemes are also coming forward to greet and gift the Prime Minister in their own ways.

In Bengal’s Purulia district, the beneficiaries of Annapurna Yojana – Mamta Mahato and Lenin Mahato planted trees in their field, as a mark of celebration as well as ‘birthday gift’ for PM Modi.

Hailing from Amlatora village in Purulia district, they said that they planted trees in the name of mother earth, inspired by PM Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative and said that this was their way of taking forward the Prime Minister’s message for clean and green environment.

Notably, the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative was launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2025, with a broader objective of serving the Mother Nature, which is responsible for sustaining and supporting life.

Mamata and Lenin, both beneficiaries of the Annapurna Yojana, have been trying to make their surroundings greener and are spreading awareness among the villagers to make the village clean. They are also educating school children about the importance of clean environment.

Mamata Mahato speaking to IANS said, “September 17 is the birthday of our country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On this auspicious occasion, honouring the message given by PM Narendra Modi—’Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, we have planted a tree in the name of our mother. By planting this tree, we are giving him a birthday gift.”

Lenin Mahato told IANS, “My wife and I have taken an initiative to plant trees alongside keeping our village clean, to make our village green. September 17 is Narendra Modi Ji’s birthday, so by planting a tree, we sent a small message to Narendra Modi that along with cleanliness, we will fill our area and our village with greenery.”

He also said, “Throughout this rainy season, we plan to plant as many trees as possible and nurture those trees. For us, planting trees is not just a program. This is a small responsibility for our future generations. If nature survives, we will survive.”

Meanwhile, lakhs of beneficiaries of various welfare programs are set to participate in the program christened ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ and will light up a lamp on September 17, in their homes, much like the way the lamp during Diwali, to express gratitude to the Prime Minister.

–IANS

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