Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 17 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday launched the 'Harit Ghar - Swasth Samaj' campaign organised by Vishwa Gujarati Samaj in Ahmedabad on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 76th birthday.

The campaign includes a pledge to plant 76,000 kitchen garden saplings.

Speaking at the event, Patel said that India has witnessed development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that the country's influence was also evident at the BRICS Summit.

Patel said that Gujarat had witnessed development during Modi's tenure as Chief Minister and highlighted the development of infrastructure such as electricity, water and roads.

He said Modi had demonstrated that challenges could be turned into achievements and had earned the trust of people in India and abroad.

Patel also highlighted the importance of environmental conservation alongside development and referred to initiatives such as 'Mission LiFE', 'Catch the Rain', 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' and natural farming.

He described the 'Harit Ghar - Swasth Samaj' campaign as an initiative supporting environmental conservation and said that growing vegetables at home could help people understand the importance of the environment and sustainable development.

Speaking about Gujarat's economic development, Patel said that GIFT City had emerged as a global financial hub and that the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit had helped the state attract global investment.

He said the number of MSMEs in Gujarat had increased from 1.85 lakh small-scale industries in 2001 to more than 27 lakh MSMEs currently, generating employment for lakhs of people.

Referring to the month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan beginning on the Prime Minister's 76th birthday, Patel called upon citizens to contribute towards building a Viksit Gujarat and realising the vision of a Viksit Bharat.

During the event, Patel felicitated Rangdatt Joshi, Vijay Dobariya and Sohil Patel for their contributions in various fields.

The Chief Minister also visited stalls showcasing products and services from around 35 startups working in environmental protection and interacted with young entrepreneurs.

The Golden Book of Records presented a World Record certificate for the campaign to distribute 76,000 kitchen garden saplings.

Vishwa Gujarati Samaj President Bhavesh Lakhani delivered the welcome address, while General Secretary Sudhir S. Raval outlined the campaign.

MLAs Amit Shah, Amit Thaker and Kaushik Jain, former Vishwa Gujarati Samaj president Gordhanbhai Patel, Mahendra Shah, Manish Sharma, Bipin Soni, office-bearers and members of the organisation, youth running environmental protection startups and citizens were present at the event.(ANI)