The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand announced on 16 July 2026 that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in a state-level mass plantation programme and a public outreach event held at Garudabaz Maidan in Almora district, coinciding with the traditional Harela festival.

Context

The event combined two distinct initiatives: the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' ('One Tree in Mother's Name') plantation drive and the 'Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar, Jan-Jan Ke Dwar' ('Government for All, at Everyone's Doorstep') outreach programme. CM Dhami participated in both, signalling the state government's intent to link environmental action with citizen-facing administration on the same platform.

Harela, a Kumaoni festival marking the onset of the monsoon, has long been associated with community tree planting and agricultural renewal. Holding a state-level plantation event on this day draws on deep-rooted cultural sentiment in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand.

Policy Backdrop

The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign was launched by the Government of India in 2024, inviting citizens across the country to plant and dedicate a sapling to their mothers. Uttarakhand adopted it as a recurring state-level drive, fitting naturally into the annual Harela plantation calendar the state has maintained since at least 2017.

The 'Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar, Jan-Jan Ke Dwar' programme, running since 2022 under the Dhami government, deploys administrative officials directly into communities to resolve grievances and deliver government services without citizens having to travel to district headquarters. Multiple editions have been organised across Uttarakhand districts, with Kumaon divisions receiving focused attention during the current monsoon season.

Stakeholders and Impact

Hill communities in Almora and surrounding areas stand to benefit directly from both programmes. The plantation drive expands green cover in ecologically sensitive Himalayan terrain, while the doorstep governance camp offers residents access to administrative services and grievance redressal closer to home.

The Uttarakhand Forest Department and local administration are the principal executing agencies. Bundling the two events at a single venue reduces logistical costs and maximises public footfall, a model that hill states have increasingly adopted to improve both ecological outcomes and civic engagement.

What's Next

Survival rates of saplings planted during the drive will be a key metric for the forest department as the monsoon progresses. Follow-up 'Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar' camps are expected in other Kumaon districts through the remainder of the monsoon season, extending the outreach footprint established at Almora.

The convergence of cultural festivals with national afforestation mandates in Uttarakhand suggests a deliberate state strategy: using community occasions to build voluntary participation in environmental programmes, a model that could influence how other ecologically sensitive states structure their plantation campaigns going forward.