Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, announced the formal launch of Delhi's 70-lakh tree plantation campaign, aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's national 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' ('One Tree in Mother's Name') initiative. Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the drive by planting saplings at Central Ridge and Nanakpura Ridge in the capital.

Context

In her post, CM Gupta described the day as 'ek naye harit sankalp ka din' — 'a day of a new green resolve' for Delhi. She credited Amit Shah's participation as a mark of his sustained affection and guidance for the capital, calling it a source of inspiration for every public-welfare initiative undertaken by the Delhi government.

The campaign calls on citizens to plant a tree in their mother's name, framing afforestation as a personal and emotional act rather than a bureaucratic obligation. CM Gupta underlined that the drive is a pledge to give future generations 'clean air, greenery, and a healthy life.'

Policy Backdrop

Prime Minister Modi formally launched the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign on World Environment Day in June 2024, calling for mass citizen participation in tree plantation across India. The Delhi edition scales that national mission into a targeted urban drive, anchoring it to the city's chronic air-quality crisis and its need to expand green cover.

Central Ridge and Nanakpura Ridge — both protected forest zones within the National Capital Territory — were chosen as the inauguration sites, reflecting the administration's focus on reinforcing existing urban forests rather than creating isolated green patches. This approach builds on compensatory afforestation and green-belt programmes that Delhi has pursued since the 2010s.

A key feature of the 2026 campaign is an online slot-booking portal that allows residents to register and schedule their own plantation activity, lowering the barrier to participation. CM Gupta highlighted this mechanism as central to turning the drive into a true jan andolan — a people's movement.

Stakeholders and Impact

The launch event brought together senior Union ministers and Delhi BJP leadership. Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, attended alongside Delhi BJP State President and Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, cabinet ministers, and elected representatives — signalling strong central-state coordination on the initiative.

For Delhi's residents, the campaign's success would mean measurable improvement in urban air quality and heat-island mitigation, two of the city's most persistent environmental challenges. Urban forestry departments will be responsible for monitoring sapling survival rates, which have historically been a weak point in large-scale plantation drives across Indian cities.

What's Next

The operational rollout of the online slot-booking portal will be a near-term test of the campaign's ability to mobilise mass participation beyond the inauguration event. Authorities will need to publish transparent progress reports — particularly on sapling survival rates — to demonstrate that the 70-lakh target translates into sustained green cover rather than a one-day symbolic exercise.

With the monsoon season providing optimal conditions for plantation, the coming weeks are the critical window for achieving a significant share of the target. CM Gupta's framing of the drive as a jan andolan suggests the administration intends to keep public engagement active well beyond the launch.