Mission Hariyali

A resident distributes free saplings to bring back fruit trees to the nearly barren villages of Nalanda, Bihar

- DAKSHIANI PALICHA

EVERY DAY, a group of volunteers led by Rajeev Ranjan Bharti loads up a white minivan with 500-600 saplings and goes to schools, markets or other public places. Their mission is simple: to approach children and elders and convince them to take home one of the plants to sow at home as well as any available common space.

Bharti, a resident of Noorsarai in Nalanda district, and the volunteers have been going on such campaigns under the name "Mission Hariyali" since 2016. "Until now, we have distributed and facilitated planting of 1.1 million trees in Nalanda, of which 0.8-0.9 million are guava trees," says Bharti. Jackfruit, custard apple, mango and Indian gooseberry are some of the other plants that the total 33 volunteers across the district distribute.