Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Friday, 7 August attended Haryana's 77th Van Mahotsav at Manesar, reaffirming the Centre's push to protect the Aravallis and combat air pollution across the state. The event was anchored by a statewide target of planting 1.4 crore saplings this year under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative.

Key Dignitaries and Announcements

Sharing the dais with Yadav were Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, state Environment and Forests Minister Rao Narbir Singh, public representatives, and senior state officials. Notably, district-level Van Mahotsav programmes were simultaneously held across all districts of Haryana — a first for the annual celebrations, according to Chief Minister Saini.

What the Environment Minister Said

Yadav said he had recently reviewed Haryana's air quality situation and expressed satisfaction that the state government had acted on his recommendations. Those recommendations covered a range of interventions: housing societies establishing solid waste management systems, industries installing Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) and Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs), implementation of smart traffic management, and expanded greening activities.

He also stressed the ecological importance of grasslands and woodlands for soil conservation and maintaining the water table, noting that Haryana had made meaningful progress on both fronts. Yadav additionally congratulated Haryana's sportspersons — particularly its women athletes — for their performances at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games.

The Aravalli Imperative

A central theme of the event was the protection of the Aravalli range, one of the world's oldest mountain systems and a critical green lung for the National Capital Region. Yadav highlighted that Haryana is actively implementing Centre-recommended measures to prevent further degradation of the Aravallis. Chief Minister Saini echoed this, calling it 'the collective responsibility of all' to restore green cover to the hills.

This comes amid sustained pressure on Aravalli land from urban expansion, mining activity, and encroachments — concerns that have drawn repeated interventions from the Supreme Court and environment bodies in recent years.

Chief Minister Saini's Address

Chief Minister Saini framed Van Mahotsav as more than a tree-planting drive, describing it as 'an opportunity to repay our debt to nature.' He noted that India has historically accorded nature a status of reverence, predating modern environmentalism by millennia. He added that the 1.4 crore tree target for Haryana this year involves participation across multiple stakeholders, with Gurugram being positioned not only as a commercial hub but as a green city.

With the 77th Van Mahotsav now concluded, attention will shift to whether the sapling targets translate into verified green cover — a metric that has historically lagged plantation counts across Indian states.