Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, launched the Green Drive Portal from Delhi Secretariat, marking a key step in the capital's target of planting 70 lakh saplings under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' (One Tree in the Name of Your Mother) campaign. The portal — accessible at greendrive.delhivanmahotsav.in — enables Delhi residents to book plantation slots, register as 'Environmental Saviours', and claim free saplings from government nurseries. Cabinet colleague Manjinder Singh Sirsa was present at the launch.

Context

In her post, CM Gupta urged all residents of Delhi to join this public-participation drive and contribute to building a 'green, clean and healthy Delhi.' She stated: 'By visiting the portal, you can book a slot for the Mega Plantation Drive, register as an Environmental Saviour, and book free saplings from your nearest government nursery.' The appeal frames tree plantation not as a government programme alone but as a citizen-led movement.

The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign was launched by the Government of India in 2024, encouraging citizens across the country to plant trees in honour of their mothers. Delhi's adoption of the campaign with a target of 70 lakh saplings represents one of the larger state-level commitments under this national initiative.

Policy Backdrop

India's Van Mahotsav, the annual tree plantation festival, has been observed since 1950 as the country's flagship afforestation event coordinated by state forest departments. Delhi governments have run successive urban plantation drives since the 2000s, linked to air quality management plans in one of the world's most polluted megacities.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008) included the National Mission for Green India, targeting expanded forest and tree cover. The new Green Drive Portal extends the tradition of these campaigns by adding a digital layer — online slot booking, citizen registration, and doorstep plantation support — to drive scale and accountability in ways earlier analogue campaigns could not.

A notable feature announced is the Vriksh Rath Yojana (Vriksh Rath Yojana), under which the Delhi Forest Department's expert teams will travel to homes, institutions, residential complexes, vacant land, and other suitable sites with saplings, equipment, and technical assistance to carry out plantation on request.

Stakeholders and Impact

Delhi residents are the primary audience, with the portal designed to lower barriers to participation by offering free saplings and at-home planting support. Institutions, residential welfare associations, and private landowners with vacant plots are explicitly included as potential participants through the Vriksh Rath scheme.

The Delhi Forest Department bears the operational responsibility for nursery supply, logistics, and the deployment of expert teams under Vriksh Rath Yojana. Urban plantation at this scale, if achieved, could contribute meaningfully to Delhi's tree-cover targets and air quality indices, though sapling survival rates in dense urban environments remain a critical variable.

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa's presence at the launch signals the political weight the ruling dispensation is placing on this environmental initiative ahead of what is typically the peak plantation season during the monsoon months.

What's Next

The immediate measure of success will be citizen registrations and slot bookings on the Green Drive Portal in the coming weeks. The broader 70-lakh sapling target will be tracked through subsequent government updates, with sapling survival rates emerging as a key accountability metric.

Potential integration with central schemes such as the National Mission for Green India and state budget allocations for nursery expansion will determine the long-term sustainability of the drive. If the digital portal model delivers measurable participation, it could become a template for other Indian states seeking to scale citizen-led urban greening efforts.