The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh, citing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, 5 June 2026 issued a call to citizens to honour their duty towards the motherland by protecting the environment, marking the occasion of World Environment Day. The post quoted CM Yogi Adityanath as saying: 'Hamein is baat ko dhyan mein rakhna hoga ki paryavaran bachega toh prakriti bachegi, prakriti bachegi toh jeev srishti bhi bachegi.' ['We must keep in mind that if the environment is saved, nature will be saved; if nature is saved, all living creation will be saved.'] He added that it is every citizen's responsibility to honestly fulfil their duties towards the motherland. The statement was accompanied by the hashtag #एक_पेड़_माँ_के_नाम (Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam — 'One Tree in Mother's Name'), a tree plantation drive that urges citizens to plant a sapling in honour of their mothers as a gesture of environmental stewardship.

Context

World Environment Day, observed annually on 5 June, is the primary United Nations platform for promoting awareness and action for the protection of the environment. This year's appeal from Lucknow aligns the state government's messaging with the global observance, framing tree plantation as both a civic duty and an act of personal reverence. The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign connects ecological responsibility to an emotional and cultural impulse — the relationship between a child and their mother — making the appeal broadly resonant across Uttar Pradesh's diverse population.

Policy Backdrop

Since 2017, the Uttar Pradesh government under CM Yogi Adityanath has conducted large-scale annual plantation drives modelled on the Van Mahotsav tradition, targeting the planting of millions of saplings each monsoon season. These campaigns have consistently sought public participation as a core strategy to expand the state's green cover. The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative fits within a broader national pattern in which state governments use social media, emotionally resonant messaging, and citizen-duty frameworks to drive afforestation goals. The campaign echoes national targets for increasing forest and tree cover as part of India's climate commitments.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary audience for this appeal is the general citizenry of Uttar Pradesh, one of India's most populous states, where large-scale public participation can translate into significant on-ground impact during the monsoon plantation season. Local non-governmental organisations and community groups have historically served as implementation partners in such drives. By framing tree plantation as a personal and patriotic duty — 'mातृभूमि के प्रति अपने दायित्वों का ईमानदारीपूर्वक निर्वहन' ['honestly fulfilling one's duties towards the motherland'] — the messaging seeks to move citizens beyond passive awareness toward direct action.

What's Next

With the monsoon season approaching, the state government is expected to announce district-level plantation targets and mobilise administrative machinery to support sapling distribution and survival monitoring. The success of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam drive will likely be measured by reported sapling counts in the weeks ahead, as Uttar Pradesh seeks to demonstrate tangible progress on its green-cover commitments.