In Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi praises Kapil Sharma’s Say Trees initiative — 10 million saplings planted, 50 lakes revived and 150 urban forests boosting Bengaluru’s green revival.
PM Modi Mann Ki Baat Highlights Bengaluru Engineer’s Green Revolution
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent Mann Ki Baat address, singled out Bengaluru-based engineer Kapil Sharma for leading a large-scale re-greening movement that is being held up as a national model. Sharma’s non-profit, SayTrees, has planted more than 10 million trees across India, revived around 50 lakes and developed over 150 Miyawaki-style urban forests.
Sharma’s approach blends grassroots mobilisation with corporate partnerships under a simple mantra he calls the “three Ps”: project, people, paisa — meaning identify the right projects, build volunteer teams, and secure responsible funding. That mix has allowed SayTrees to scale weekend tree-planting drives into sustained urban restoration work, bringing communities, schools and businesses into regular planting and lake-revival programmes.
SayTrees also focuses on fruit-bearing species that support livelihoods for farmers and on creating compact, fast-growing Miyawaki forests that quickly restore urban biodiversity. While Sharma now works from the US, co-founder Devkant manages on-ground operations in India, keeping projects active in Bengaluru and beyond.
