Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai participated in a tree plantation drive at the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly complex in Nava Raipur on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (One Tree in Mother's Name) campaign. He was joined by Assembly Speaker Dr. Raman Singh, Cabinet colleagues, and members of the state legislature.

Context

In his post, CM Sai described the occasion as a tribute both to mothers and to future generations, writing: 'One tree in mother's name... in the name of the safe future of coming generations.' He called on citizens to plant as many saplings as possible to lay 'a strong foundation for a green, clean, and developed Chhattisgarh.'

The event brought together the state's top constitutional and executive figures at the Nava Raipur assembly precinct — a planned capital also known as Atal Nagar — lending institutional weight to what began as a citizen-facing campaign.

Policy Backdrop

The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign was launched nationally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 June 2024, World Environment Day, with the aim of encouraging every Indian to plant a tree in honour of their mother. The campaign has since been adopted by state governments and public institutions across the country as an annual afforestation ritual.

Chhattisgarh, which holds one of the largest forest covers among Indian states, has participated in successive central and state afforestation programmes aligned with India's national climate commitments. Plantation events involving elected legislators have become a recurring feature in BJP-governed states, signalling a convergence of environmental messaging with governance priorities.

Stakeholders and Impact

Dr. Raman Singh, who served as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for 15 years (2003–2018) before becoming Assembly Speaker, co-led the plantation event alongside the current Cabinet. His presence underscores cross-institutional participation in the campaign at the state level.

The campaign's broader target audience is the general public — citizens are urged to plant saplings and share their participation. For Chhattisgarh, the initiative feeds into state-level goals of expanding green cover while reinforcing the cultural value of respecting nature, a theme that resonates strongly in the state's tribal heartland.

What's Next

Attention will now shift to district-level rollout of the campaign across Chhattisgarh's 33 districts, and whether the state follows up with dedicated budgetary provisions for afforestation in the next budget session. The scale of sapling survival and follow-up maintenance will determine whether this event translates into measurable forest-cover gains.

As climate commitments come under increasing scrutiny, symbolic plantation drives backed by legislative participation could face calls for transparent reporting on actual tree survival rates and long-term ecological outcomes.