Union Home Minister Amit Shah participated in a tree plantation drive at Nankpura Ridge, Delhi, on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' (One Tree in Mother's Name) campaign, describing the initiative as a symbol of India's cultural reverence for nature and its commitment to environmental conservation.

Context

Posting on X, Shah wrote: 'Aaj Delhi ke Nankpura Ridge mein 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' abhiyan ke tahat vriksharopan kiya' — 'Today I planted trees at the Nankpura Ridge in Delhi under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign.' He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with launching the drive, calling it a symbol of the resolve to protect the environment and of India's cultural respect for nature. He added that the Delhi government has joined the campaign to work towards rejuvenating the Delhi Ridge.

The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign was launched by Prime Minister Modi on World Environment Day 2024, encouraging citizens across the country to plant saplings in honour of their mothers, blending ecological action with a deeply personal cultural sentiment.

Policy Backdrop

The Delhi Ridge is a protected forest zone that runs through parts of the national capital and plays a critical role in urban biodiversity, groundwater recharge, and air quality. It has been a focus of successive Master Plans for Delhi since 2001, with periodic central and state-level efforts to curb encroachment and restore green cover.

The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative fits within a broader pattern of linking large-scale afforestation drives to cultural motifs to encourage mass public participation — an approach consistent with earlier programmes such as the Green India Mission and the urban forestry components of the National Action Plan on Climate Change. By framing tree-planting as an act of devotion to one's mother, the campaign has sought to move environmental action beyond policy compliance into everyday civic behaviour.

Stakeholders and Impact

Delhi residents stand to benefit directly from a healthier and more expansive Ridge forest, which acts as the city's green lung amid chronic pollution levels. Environmental groups have long advocated stronger protections for the Ridge, and the central government's visible participation in plantation drives lends institutional weight to those calls.

The involvement of the Delhi government alongside a senior Union minister signals a rare moment of administrative convergence on an environmental priority for the capital. The plantation season, which peaks during the monsoon months of July and August, provides the most favourable conditions for sapling survival and establishment.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the scale of the Ridge rejuvenation effort — including how many saplings are planted, which species are prioritised, and what follow-up maintenance is committed to by both central and state agencies. The campaign's momentum across other states during the current plantation season will also be closely watched as a measure of the initiative's national reach in its third year.