The Guinness-certified feat transforms Modi’s constituency into a blueprint for urban greening


In a single hour on Sunday, Varanasi rewrote the record books.
The Varanasi Municipal Corporation mobilised over 20,000 citizens to plant 2.5 lakh saplings using the Miyawaki method pulverising the previous Guinness World Record of 1.53 lakh saplings held by China. Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal confirmed the record-breaking achievement on X.
The ambition, however, extends well beyond a single afternoon. The 350-bigha site near the Ganga ghats in Domari will be transformed into ‘Namo Van’ an urban forest park named in honour of Prime Minister Modi, in whose Lok Sabha constituency it sits. A total of 3 lakh saplings are planned, alongside 10,000 timber trees, 40,000 fruit-bearing trees, a 4-km walking trail, yoga and neuropathy plazas, a herbal park, and a children’s play zone.
Officials project the forest will generate ₹2 crore annually, scaling to ₹7 crore by year seven.