CM Bhajan Lal calls for tree planting on World Environment Day
Synopsis
On World Environment Day 2026, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma called on citizens to plant a tree in their mother's name under the state's Hariyalo Rajasthan campaign, framing afforestation as a centuries-old cultural tradition of the state.
Key Takeaways
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma posted on X on 5 June 2026 — World Environment Day — urging mass tree plantation.
He called on citizens to plant 'one tree in the name of your mother' ( ek ped maa ke naam ), invoking an emotional cultural appeal.
The call is anchored in the state's Hariyalo Rajasthan campaign, which promotes large-scale afforestation through public participation.
The CM framed environmental conservation as an inseparable part of Rajasthan's culture spanning centuries.
India has observed World Environment Day since 1974 ; Rajasthan has a tree-planting tradition dating to Van Mahotsav festivals of the 1950s .
Official plantation numbers and sapling survival rates under the campaign are expected to be reported after the 2026 monsoon season .
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Friday, 5 June 2026, called on citizens to plant trees in their mothers' names on World Environment Day, invoking the state's 'Hariyalo Rajasthan' campaign as a vehicle for mass public participation in afforestation.
Context
Posting on X, the Chief Minister wrote in Hindi: 'पर्यावरण संरक्षण और संवर्धन राजस्थान की संस्कृति का सदियों से अभिन्न हिस्सा रहा है' ('Environmental conservation and promotion has been an inseparable part of Rajasthan's culture for centuries'). He urged every resident to take a pledge on the occasion and plant 'one tree in the name of your mother' — 'एक पेड़ मां के नाम' — to collectively build a greener Rajasthan.
World Environment Day is observed every year on 5 June. It was established by the United Nations in 1972 and has been marked in India since 1974 in alignment with UN Environment Programme resolutions.
Policy Backdrop
The Hariyalo Rajasthan campaign is the state government's flagship public-participation tree-plantation drive, aimed at expanding green cover through community involvement. Bhajan Lal Sharma has been Chief Minister since December 2023, and his administration has framed environmental action within the cultural identity of Rajasthan — a state historically associated with arid landscapes and water conservation traditions.
Rajasthan state governments have conducted Van Mahotsav tree-planting festivals since the 1950s as part of national forestry programmes. The current campaign extends that lineage, aligning with national forest-cover targets set under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change. Several BJP-governed states have similarly timed afforestation drives to coincide with World Environment Day to encourage citizen ownership of green initiatives.
Stakeholders and Impact
The primary audience for the campaign is Rajasthan's residents and local communities, who are being mobilised as active participants rather than passive beneficiaries. The 'one tree in the name of your mother' framing draws on an emotional and cultural register intended to deepen personal commitment to plantation and, crucially, to the survival of saplings after planting.
Afforestation outcomes in arid and semi-arid states like Rajasthan are typically measured after the monsoon season, when sapling survival rates can be assessed. Broader stakeholders include local panchayats, forest department officials, and school and college networks that are conventionally mobilised for such drives.
What's Next
Attention will now turn to the scale of plantation activity recorded across Rajasthan during and after the 2026 monsoon season, including official data on the number of saplings planted, species diversity, and survival rates under the Hariyalo Rajasthan campaign. Whether the government releases audited figures on cumulative green cover added since the campaign's inception will be a key indicator of its on-ground impact.
Point of View
Which has gained traction as a nationally resonant slogan, adds an emotional layer designed to improve sapling survival through personal ownership. The Hariyalo Rajasthan campaign fits into a broader pattern of state-level afforestation drives timed to global observances to maximise citizen visibility and media coverage. The real test, however, will be independent verification of plantation and survival data after the monsoon — a metric that has historically been contested in large-scale government tree-planting exercises across India.
NationPress
23 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hariyalo Rajasthan campaign?
Hariyalo Rajasthan is a Rajasthan state government campaign that promotes large-scale tree plantation through public participation, aimed at expanding the state's green cover and aligning with national forest-cover targets.
What did CM Bhajan Lal Sharma say on World Environment Day 2026?
On 5 June 2026, CM Bhajan Lal Sharma called on Rajasthan residents to pledge to plant one tree in their mother's name under the Hariyalo Rajasthan campaign, describing environmental conservation as a centuries-old part of the state's culture.
What is 'ek ped maa ke naam'?
'Ek ped maa ke naam' means 'one tree in the name of your mother' in Hindi. It is an emotional appeal used in Indian afforestation campaigns to encourage citizens to personally commit to planting and nurturing a sapling.
When is World Environment Day and who started it?
World Environment Day is observed every year on 5 June. It was established by the United Nations in 1972 and India has participated in the observance since 1974.
How long has Rajasthan had tree-planting traditions?
Rajasthan state governments have conducted Van Mahotsav tree-planting festivals since the 1950s as part of national forestry programmes, a tradition the current Hariyalo Rajasthan campaign builds upon.
