“I want to link the issue of the girl child and trees. Both are similar as they need attention today,” Singh said. However, he wants to use not just a campaign but faith to spread the message. Thus, the venue of the inauguration of Nanhi Chaan: the Sacred Heart Cathedral, where saplings were distributed to girls.

“A survey says 99 per cent of Indians have faith. We want to spread the message of Nanhi Chaan through faith. Our concept is that every time a girl enters a house, during a birth or marriage, a tree should be planted. This programme has already been very successful through the Golden Temple in Amritsar. We have distributed 500,000 saplings in Punjab in the last seven months. We will take this community movement all over India now,” Singh said.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) have pledged their support for the cause.

“On paper, about 22 per cent of India’s land is under forest cover. In reality, it is only about 11 per cent, of which 4 per cent is covered by national parks and sanctuaries. The core of biodiversity in India resides in just 2.5 per cent of the land, which is in these national parks and sanctuaries. WWF will take the Nanhi Chaan initiative forward to some of the most backward regions of the country,” Ravi Singh, CEO, WWF, said.