MUMBAI: As part of its commitment towards promoting green initiatives and community building, Pro Kabaddi League franchise U Mumba, in collaboration with Swades Foundation, undertook the initiative of planting 4,300 fruit tree saplings in Raigad’s Mangaon village over the weekend along with the local communities and Kabaddi fans of the region.
U Mumba had pledged to plant 100 saplings for every ‘Super Tackle’ and 200 saplings for every ‘Super Raid’ achieved during season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League, held earlier this year and the plantation drive was kicked-off in the presence of Guman Singh, leading raider of U Mumba.
Maharashtra and Raigad specifically have a lot of aspiring Kabaddi players and 25-year-old Guman was the star attraction as he interacted with the farmers and kabaddi fans during the visit and also clicked pictures and selfies with them to make the interaction memorable and life time.
“U Mumba has been striving to build various community initiatives in Maharashtra as Kabaddi is a very popular sport in the state & it is an important way to contribute for us. Building green cover and providing farmers with an opportunity to augment their income is also part of that initiative. We are extremely proud to have partnered with Swades Foundation for the plantation drive in Raigad and we look forward to many more such initiatives,” said U Mumba CEO Suhail Chandhok.
Swades Foundation supports farmers with relevant technical training and saplings of trees such as Sapota, Mango, Cashews, Coconut and Kokum to create a sustainable source of income while adding to the region’s green cover. The Swades’ New Orchard program, under which the plan is to plant 1.5 lakh fruit tree saplings across Maharashtra, is aimed at increasing green cover by bringing fallow land under productive use and also boost the income avenues for farmers of the state.
Speaking about this unique initiative and their collaboration with U Mumba, Mangesh Wange, CEO, Swades Foundation, said, “New Orchards are a great way for small farmers to earn sustained additional income. It is also great for the biodiversity of the region because it expands the region’s green cover. We have scheduled the planting of 1.5 lakh trees this year and are grateful for U Mumba’s support to partly contribute to this project.”
With a strong fan following and people from surrounding villages gathered to see U Mumba star raider Guman Singh, he also visited the Swadhin Cashew Factory and participated in the Swades Dream Village celebration event, joining a community lunch initiative.
