The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, 12 July 2026 shared a statement from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath endorsing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationwide afforestation campaign, 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' ('One Tree in Mother's Name'), urging every resident of the state to participate in what he called a grand act of gratitude toward the earth.

Context

The post opens with a Sanskrit verse from the Atharva Veda — 'Mata Bhumih Putro'ham Prithivyah' ('The Earth is our mother; I am her son') — to frame the campaign's philosophical basis. CM Yogi Adityanath described the tree-plantation drive as a mahayagya (a great sacred endeavour), calling on citizens to fulfil their duty as 'sons of the earth.' The statement was shared under the hashtags #एक_पेड़_माँ_के_नाम, #PragatiBhiPrakritiBhi, and #GoGreen_UP, signalling the campaign's integration into Uttar Pradesh's broader green-growth messaging.

The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign is a Central Government-led nationwide afforestation initiative championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has called on every Indian to plant a tree in honour of their mother — and, by extension, in honour of Mother Earth. The campaign blends cultural sentiment with environmental action, positioning tree plantation as both a personal tribute and a civic responsibility.

Policy Backdrop

India's afforestation agenda has deep institutional roots. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008) established the Green India Mission, which set targets for expanding forest and tree cover across states. At COP26 in 2021, PM Modi announced India's Panchamrit commitments, which explicitly included increasing the nation's forest and tree cover as part of its net-zero pathway.

Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, has consistently featured prominently in national plantation drives given its vast agricultural land and dense population. The twin hashtags #PragatiBhiPrakritiBhi ('Progress as well as Nature') and #GoGreen_UP reflect the state government's effort to position environmental action as complementary to, not in conflict with, economic development.

Stakeholders and Impact

The campaign's primary audience is the general public of Uttar Pradesh — residents, volunteer groups, schools, and local civic bodies — who are being mobilised to plant saplings during the ongoing monsoon season, traditionally the most effective window for tree plantation in the subcontinent. Monsoon rains significantly improve sapling survival rates, making July and August the preferred months for such drives.

By anchoring the appeal in the culturally resonant image of a mother, the campaign attempts to move tree-planting from a government directive to a personal, emotionally motivated act. CM Yogi's endorsement through the official CMOfficeUP channel ensures the message reaches state administrative machinery, which is expected to coordinate district-level plantation activities.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to monsoon-season plantation drives across Uttar Pradesh's districts, with the state government likely to release figures on the total number of saplings planted under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' banner. The campaign's success at the state level will also be watched as an indicator of how effectively India's climate commitments translate into ground-level citizen participation — a metric that carries weight ahead of future international climate reviews.