(BBC NEWS)
The northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has attempted to set a world record by planting 10 million trees in a single day on Tuesday.
Officials say the plantings, aiming to raise awareness of the need to protect the environment, were a success.
In all, 10,266,736 saplings were planted at 9,320 sites across Uttar Pradesh's 70 districts.
The authorities say they have notified Guinness World Records of their attempt and are awaiting confirmation. The record stands at 852,587 trees, planted in 6,284 locations in Tamil Nadu state in 2006.
The programme has been included in The Billion Tree Campaign being run by the United Nations Environment Programme. Banks and other institutions provided the financial help needed to procure saplings. BK Patnaik, chief conservator at the state forest department, said: "The response from the people was overwhelming and heartening."
The leader of India's governing Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi, planted a sapling in her parliamentary constituency of Rai Bareli. Read On>>
