Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, announced the launch of 'Mission 70 Lakh Paudharopan Abhiyan' — a citizen-participation-driven mass tree plantation drive — with Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah set to formally inaugurate the campaign at Central Park, Sector-12, R.K. Puram at 10:30 a.m. The event also marks the induction of 300 new electric buses into Delhi's public transport fleet, alongside the launch of several other environment and public welfare projects.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X (formerly Twitter), Chief Minister Gupta wrote: 'पहली बार दिल्ली में पौधारोपण को इतना सरल बनाया गया है' ('For the first time, tree plantation in Delhi has been made this simple'). She highlighted an online sapling booking facility as a defining feature of the campaign, framing it as a departure from earlier, less accessible plantation drives. Citizens can now reserve saplings digitally before planting them, lowering the barrier to participation.

The drive is aligned with the central government's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' (One Tree in Mother's Name) campaign, which was launched nationally in 2024 to encourage large-scale citizen-driven afforestation across India. Gupta specifically invited Delhiites to join the national campaign, calling it a step toward a 'green, clean and developed Delhi.'

Policy Backdrop

Delhi has long grappled with some of the worst urban air quality in the world, driven by vehicular emissions, construction dust, crop stubble burning in neighbouring states, and industrial activity. Successive administrations have pursued urban forestry programmes and green cover targets as part of broader environmental remediation strategies. The monsoon window — typically July through September — is considered the optimal period for large-scale sapling plantation, making the timing of this launch deliberate.

The simultaneous induction of 300 electric buses connects the plantation drive to Delhi's wider decarbonisation push. The city's electric bus procurement programme traces its origins to state EV policy initiatives from around 2019–2020, aimed at reducing tailpipe emissions from the capital's vast public transport network. The convergence of greening and e-mobility announcements at a single event signals an integrated approach to tackling air pollution.

Stakeholders and Impact

Delhi's residents are the primary intended beneficiaries, both as participants in the plantation drive and as future users of the expanded electric bus fleet. Environmental groups and urban planners have consistently argued that increasing green cover within city limits can provide modest but meaningful relief from the urban heat island effect and particulate matter accumulation. The online sapling booking mechanism is specifically designed to draw in younger, digitally connected citizens who may have found earlier drives logistically difficult to join.

Urban commuters stand to benefit directly from the 300 new electric buses, which are expected to reduce crowding on existing routes and cut emissions per passenger-kilometre. The broader pattern across Indian states — aligning local plantation targets with the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam framework — also means Delhi's numbers feed into national green cover reporting, giving the drive both local and federal significance.

What's Next

The critical test for Mission 70 Lakh Paudharopan Abhiyan will be the phased rollout of the sapling target across Delhi's wards and green spaces through the monsoon season. Sustaining plantation numbers beyond the ceremonial launch — ensuring saplings are watered, maintained, and survive past the first year — has historically been a challenge for large urban drives. Further electric bus inductions by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) are also expected in the coming months as the city works toward its e-mobility targets. The combination of citizen engagement tools, ministerial-level inauguration, and infrastructure delivery suggests the administration intends this as a flagship environmental initiative heading into the post-monsoon air quality season.