India’s Afforestation and Plantation Campaigns

The national umbrella, and its idea

• India runs several major tree-plantation campaigns. They aim to fight climate change and expand green cover.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” on World Environment Day, 5 June 2024.
• The campaign asks every citizen to plant a tree. It is a tribute to their mother and to Mother Earth.

Delhi’s own drive, and a separate volunteer network

• Delhi’s “Mission 70 Lakh Plantation” runs under this national campaign. It aims to plant 70 lakh saplings across the city.
• “Vriksh Mitra” means “tree friend”. It is a separate volunteer network, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
• As of July 2026, nearly 17,000 Vriksh Mitras are connected, from across India.
• The government is now building a formal structure called “Vriksh Mitra Pariwar”. It will run from village level up to national level.

Reviving a forest, and a 30-year wait resolved

• Delhi’s Mission 70 Lakh Plantation also revives the Delhi Ridge forest area.
• In 2026, the government declared 5,000 hectares of the Ridge as forest land. It was first notified in 1994. Its final notification stayed pending for 30 years.
• The Ridge plan favours long-lived native trees, such as peepal, banyan, and neem. Some can live for over a century.

How citizens take part, and the first big day

• Citizens can book a plantation slot on Delhi’s Green Drive Portal. Free saplings are given out through the Vriksh Rath.
• Every Vriksh Mitra pledges to plant at least one tree a year. They also pledge to bring in five new volunteers.
• 12 August 2026, Hariyali Amavasya, is the first big national plantation day for Vriksh Mitra Pariwar.

Three names, one family of schemes

• Do not treat these as one scheme. “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” is the national umbrella. “Mission 70 Lakh Plantation” is Delhi’s drive under it. “Vriksh Mitra” is a separate volunteer network.
• Watch which ministry runs which scheme. “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” and the Delhi Ridge work sit with the Environment Ministry. Vriksh Mitra sits with the Agriculture Ministry.
• The Gandhinagar record used the Miyawaki method. Linking a method to a record is a common way these facts get tested.

The Gandhinagar record, in full

• Scientists at the IIT have begun a remote-sensing study of Vriksh Mitra plantation work. It aims to measure real on-ground impact, not just count saplings.
• In Gandhinagar alone, volunteers planted over 3.61 lakh saplings in one hour. That set a Guinness World Record.
• The attempt took place at one site near Ahmedabad’s Gota-Godhavi Canal. It covered about 76,000 square metres. Over 25,000 volunteers planted roughly 35 native tree species.
• Citizens of the same constituency planted over 1.26 crore saplings in total, under the Public Plantation Campaign. More than 1.15 crore went to 404 public sites. Over 11 lakh went to private premises.

National scale, and Haryana’s Van Mahotsav

• 27 July 2026: Parliament reviewed India’s carbon-sink target under its NDC. Since 2005, India has created 2.44 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent additional carbon sink. The 2030 goal is 2.5-3 billion tonnes. A newer 2035 target aims higher, at 3.5-4 billion tonnes.
• Nagar Van Yojana: it plans 600 Nagar Vans and 400 Nagar Vatikas nationwide by 2026-27, funded through CAMPA.
• AMRUT Mitra: Women Self-Help Groups plant and maintain urban parks. This helps counter the Urban Heat Island effect.
• 12 July 2026: Amit Shah congratulated the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and over 25,000 volunteers for the Guinness record. Shivraj Singh Chouhan proposed a national structure for Vriksh Mitra Pariwar. He set 12 August 2026 as its first big drive.
• 11 July 2026: Chouhan met nearly 17,000 Vriksh Mitras at the “Paryavaran Sanrakshan Sankalp” programme at the PUSA Campus, New Delhi. Over 500 attended in person.
• 7 July 2026: Amit Shah launched Delhi’s “Mission 70 Lakh Plantation”. The government also declared 5,000 hectares of the Delhi Ridge as forest land that day.
• 7 August 2026: Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav attended Haryana’s 77th Van Mahotsav at Manesar. He praised Aravalli restoration and air-quality work. Haryana targets 1.4 crore saplings this year under “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”.