On the banks of Pichola lake in Udaipur, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma launched the state's flagship Van Mahotsav on Saturday, 1 August 2026 — planting saplings in a newly designated Chandan Van (sandalwood forest) and signalling a green push that stretches well beyond a single ceremonial afternoon.

2,100 Saplings and a Sandalwood Bet on Southern Rajasthan

The State-Level Van Mahotsav at Dudh Talai forest area saw approximately 2,100 saplings planted in a single drive. The headline species is sandalwood — a high-value, slow-growing tree that the state government is cultivating across four designated districts: Udaipur, Sirohi, Banswara, and Pratapgarh. These are southern Rajasthan's tribal heartlands, where the ecological and economic logic of sandalwood converges: the tree suits the terrain, and its eventual yield could generate livelihoods for forest-fringe communities.

Sharma also reviewed an exhibition tied to the Panch Gaurav Yojana, the state government's initiative linking environmental conservation to broader development goals, though specific outcomes of the scheme remain under active rollout.

'Hariyalo Rajasthan' — Greening an Arid State

The Chief Minister framed the event around the government's declared mission of 'Hariyalo Rajasthan' — 'Green Rajasthan' — a slogan that carries real weight in a state where desertification is a live, recurring threat. Rajasthan's annual Van Mahotsav tradition stretches back decades, but the current administration has sharpened its focus on species selection and geographic clustering rather than dispersed, symbolic planting.

Sharma invoked the national 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' ('One Tree in Mother's Name') campaign, urging citizens to participate: 'Aiye, hum sab milkar ek ped maa ke naam lagayen' — 'Come, let us all together plant a tree in our mother's name, make our earth green and prosperous, and hand a clean, safe environment to the generations ahead.'

Why Sandalwood in Tribal Districts Is a Long-Term Wager

Sandalwood plantations are not a quick return — the trees take years to mature and carry strict regulatory frameworks around harvesting. The government's decision to anchor Chandan Van development in tribal-heavy southern districts suggests a dual intent: ecological restoration now, and a high-value forest economy later. Whether survival rates and sustained maintenance match the ambition of the launch will be the real test in the seasons ahead.

For now, Udaipur's Dudh Talai has become the symbolic launchpad for a greening agenda that the BJP government in Jaipur wants defined as much by economic foresight as environmental duty.