Miyawaki plantation drive: MP CM Mohan Yadav plants 11 lakh saplings in Jabalpur
Synopsis
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav planted 11 lakh saplings across 100 acres at Jabalpur's Dumna Nature Park using the Miyawaki method — a Japanese technique that packs up to 12,000 saplings per acre versus the conventional 400. Paired with borewell recharge and promises of an AIIMS-grade medical university, the event signals Jabalpur's push to become a metropolitan green city within a year.
Key Takeaways
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav launched a Miyawaki plantation drive at Dumna Nature Park, Jabalpur on 1 August 2025 .
A record 11 lakh saplings were planted across 100 acres using the Japanese Miyawaki technique, which allows 8,000–12,000 saplings per acre versus the conventional 400 .
The drive is part of PM Narendra Modi 's national call to plant 25 crore saplings across India.
A borewell recharge structure was also inaugurated under the 'Catch the Rain' campaign to strengthen groundwater conservation.
Yadav announced plans to develop Jabalpur into a metropolitan city within a year , upgrade the state Medical University on AIIMS lines, build a world-class zoo near Madan Mahal, and establish Sandipani Vidyalayas across all district Assembly constituencies.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday, 1 August launched a large-scale plantation drive at Dumna Nature Park in Jabalpur, targeting 11 lakh saplings across 100 acres using the Miyawaki afforestation technique. The initiative is part of a nationwide campaign inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to plant 25 crore saplings across India, and marks what officials described as a historic single-day planting record for the Jabalpur region.
What the Miyawaki Method Means for Jabalpur
The Miyawaki technique is a Japanese afforestation method designed to create dense, self-sustaining forests in a compressed timeframe. Conventional plantation methods typically accommodate around 400 saplings per acre; the Miyawaki approach enables between 8,000 and 12,000 saplings in the same area, dramatically accelerating canopy formation and biodiversity recovery. For Jabalpur — a division historically associated with rich natural landscapes including the Narmada river corridor — the method is seen as ecologically well-suited.
Chief Minister Yadav said the drive would 'strengthen the ecological identity of the Jabalpur region' and contribute meaningfully to biodiversity conservation. The 100-acre site at Dumna Nature Park was chosen for its existing green buffer, which the new plantation is expected to significantly expand.
Water Conservation Measures Also Launched
Alongside the plantation drive, Yadav inaugurated a borewell recharge structure at Dumna under the Centre's 'Catch the Rain' campaign. Addressing the gathering, he underscored the growing threat of water stress linked to shifting climatic patterns and called for accelerated rainwater harvesting, borewell recharge, and the construction of water conservation infrastructure to shore up groundwater levels ahead of future shortages.
The Chief Minister framed water conservation and large-scale afforestation as complementary pillars of a sustainable environmental strategy for the state — notably, this is consistent with Madhya Pradesh's broader push under its state climate action framework.
Development Announcements for Jabalpur
The event also served as a platform for a string of urban and social development pledges. Yadav announced that Jabalpur would be developed into a metropolitan city within a year. Speaking at a separate programme at Gita Bhawan, he said a furniture cluster would be established to spur local industry and employment generation.
He further announced that the state's Medical University in Jabalpur would be upgraded on the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and that a world-class zoo with modern facilities would be constructed near Madan Mahal. Additionally, Sandipani Vidyalayas — a state-backed school initiative — would be set up across all Assembly constituencies in the district to bolster the education sector.
National Context and What Comes Next
The Jabalpur drive feeds into Prime Minister Modi's 25 crore sapling national target, which has seen state governments compete to log record plantation numbers. Critics of such campaigns have previously flagged concerns about sapling survival rates and post-plantation maintenance as determining factors in whether headline numbers translate into actual forest cover gains.
With Madhya Pradesh positioning Jabalpur as a model of integrated green and urban development, the state administration will now face scrutiny on follow-through — from sapling survival audits to the timeline on the AIIMS-standard medical university upgrade.
Point of View
But the Miyawaki method's credibility rests entirely on post-plantation maintenance — something Indian state campaigns have historically struggled to sustain. Madhya Pradesh's decision to pair the drive with borewell recharge is a sensible systems-level move, but the real metric will be sapling survival rates at the 12-month mark, not the day-one count. Yadav's metropolitan city pledge for Jabalpur within a year is ambitious given the infrastructure baseline; bundling it with an AIIMS-grade medical university upgrade and a world-class zoo risks diluting focus across too many headline announcements at once. Whether Jabalpur becomes a genuine green-urban model or a catalogue of unfulfilled pledges will depend on budget allocations in the next state cycle.
NationPress
1 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Miyawaki plantation method used in Jabalpur?
The Miyawaki method is a Japanese afforestation technique that plants between 8,000 and 12,000 saplings per acre — compared to around 400 in conventional drives — enabling faster, denser forest growth and improved biodiversity. It was used at Dumna Nature Park in Jabalpur on 1 August 2025 to plant 11 lakh saplings across 100 acres.
Why did MP CM Mohan Yadav launch this plantation drive?
The drive is part of a nationwide campaign inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to plant 25 crore saplings across India. Yadav described it as a step toward strengthening the ecological identity of the Jabalpur region and advancing biodiversity conservation.
What water conservation measures were announced at the event?
Chief Minister Yadav inaugurated a borewell recharge structure at Dumna Nature Park under the Centre's 'Catch the Rain' campaign. He called for wider rainwater harvesting and construction of water conservation structures to improve groundwater levels and reduce future water stress.
What development announcements did CM Yadav make for Jabalpur?
Yadav announced plans to develop Jabalpur into a metropolitan city within a year, set up a furniture cluster for employment, upgrade the state Medical University on AIIMS lines, build a world-class zoo near Madan Mahal, and establish Sandipani Vidyalayas across all Assembly constituencies in the district.
How does the Jabalpur drive fit into India's national afforestation goals?
It contributes to PM Modi's target of planting 25 crore saplings nationwide, with state governments logging plantation records as part of the campaign. The use of the Miyawaki method in Jabalpur is notable for its density advantage, though experts note that long-term sapling survival rates are the true measure of success.
