A massive plantation drive led by Gujarat Minister of State for Labour, Skill Development and Employment Kantilal Amrutiya has transformed a barren stretch of land in Morbi into a thriving green zone with the planting of more than one million trees across 1,200 bigha land.
The initiative, known as ‘Namo Van’, has come up on land owned by the Shri Morbi Panjrapol Trust near Machhu Dam-II on the outskirts of Morbi, a major ceramic manufacturing hub. Until about eight months ago, the area remained largely neglected and inaccessible.
Officials said the plantation drive, launched in September last year, is expected to improve green cover, enhance biodiversity, reduce dust pollution and strengthen climate resilience in the drought-prone region. Kantilal Amrutiya, also a trustee of the Shri Morbi Panjarapol Trust, said the project was initiated on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday.
“As we decided to create ‘Van Kavach’ and plant one million saplings within a month, we chalked out a detailed plan with the help of Sadbhavna Vrudhashram Trust, which assisted us in planting and maintaining Gujarat’s largest Miyawaki forests,” Amrutiya said. He said the land was first fenced and levelled using tractors and earth-moving machines, after which fertile soil and cow dung were added to improve soil quality before plantation work began.
According to Amrutiya, more than 500 people participated in the campaign, planting nearly 25,000 saplings daily over 37 days to complete the exercise. The plantation is being maintained through drip irrigation systems. “Today, the entire 1,200-bigha land has literally turned into a forest,” he said. The ‘Namo Van’ project was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Prime Minister Modi’s 75th birthday in 2025.
Impressed by the initiative, the Chief Minister later revisited the site and announced a special grant of Rs 3 crore for the development of an approach road leading to the project. The 64-year-old Amrutiya, a six-time MLA first elected in 1995, said he now plans to dedicate his life to environmental conservation and natural farming after recently undergoing cancer surgery and immunotherapy treatment.
“After the cancer surgery, I feel as though I have got a second life. I now want to dedicate my life to spreading awareness about natural farming and tree plantation,” he said. He added that a request has been submitted to the government seeking allocation of nearby land to undertake similar plantation drives along the banks of the Machhu Dam.
