Latur, Jun 4 (PTI): Planting a tree may be a symbolic gesture for many people, but for green activist Sudhakar Deshmukh, who hails from Maharashtra's Beed district, it has been a lifelong mission spanning more than four decades.
A resident of Mamdapur village under Ambejogai tehsil, the environmentalist is claimed to have distributed more than 18 lakhs saplings across Maharashtra. These saplings have been gifted during weddings, religious gatherings, birthdays, retirement ceremonies, housewarming functions and public events.
While grazing cattle and working in fields during early years of life, he often survived on wild fruits and edible plants found in forests and farmlands. Instead of discarding the seeds of the fruits he consumed, Deshmukh began planting them in open spaces, along riverbanks and near rocky terrain.
To strengthen his efforts towards environmental conservation, he founded the 'Vrukshamitra Abhiyan' (Tree Friend Campaign) in 2002. The initiative has since become a powerful platform for promoting tree plantation and conservation across Maharashtra. Through the campaign, Deshmukh established a free nursery and seed bank at his residence.
The bank preserves seeds of numerous indigenous tree species, including banyan, peepal, tamarind, mango, amla, bael, karanj and kadamba. These seeds are distributed free of cost to students, farmers, women's self-help groups and senior citizens.
Beyond plantation drives, the 57-year-old activist has been a persistent advocate for a comprehensive tree census across Maharashtra.
"Since 2005, I have been actively advocating this cause through awareness campaigns and public outreach. In 2012-13, during the Winter Session of the legislature in Nagpur, me and my family launched a campaign.
"We have consistently demanded that all tree species with a trunk circumference of at least 6 feet and a height of 7 to 10 feet be officially counted and recorded. We urged authorities to display boards in every village indicating the total number of trees within its limits," he told PTI on the eve of World Environment Day.
As a result of these sustained efforts, tree census activities have now been incorporated under the state government's 'Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan' (My Earth Mission), which is a major outcome of the campaign, he maintained.
"Another major achievement of our movement came in 2022-23, when municipal corporations, municipalities and gram panchayats were directed under the Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan to conduct tree censuses and maintain official records of the trees within their jurisdictions," Deshmukh stated.
The activist's decades-long contribution to tree conservation has earned him several honours, including the prestigious 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vanashree Award' from the Maharashtra government in 2023. Numerous organisations have also recognised his service to society and the environment.
(PTI)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
