LUCKNOW, June 6 -- Uttar Pradesh marked World Environment Day with a massive statewide plantation drive, surpassing the target of planting five crore (50 million) saplings across all 75 districts of the state on Friday, the state government said.

A total of 50,146,441 saplings were planted, said Sunil Chaudhary, principal chief conservator of forests, Uttar Pradesh and head of the forest force. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath planted the first sapling.

Adityanath planted a mango sapling at the chief minister's residence complex, a camphor sapling at the Kukrail forest and a Parijat sapling at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan. In Kukrail forest, the plantation was named Maharishi Charak Aushadhiya Vatika.

Addressing a programme organised on...