LUCKNOW, July 16 -- The Uttar Pradesh government distributed Green Gold Certificates (GGC) to 18,348 newborns delivered in government hospitals across the state between July 1 and 7, according to a press statement issued on Tuesday. Along with the certificates, parents were also gifted saplings of various plant species, symbolising a shared commitment to nurturing both the child and the environment. The initiative was part of the annual plantation drive aimed to connect people with nature. Parents also took a pledge to care for the saplings with the same dedication as their newborns, said Sitanshu Pandey, divisional forest officer of Awadh Range. The Lucknow division led the Green Gold Certificate initiative by distributing the highest number of saplings, totaling 2,555. It was followed by the Devipatan division, which distributed 1,854 saplings, and Agra, which handed out 1,406 saplings. htc...