The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh announced on Sunday, 13 July 2026 that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath participated in the inauguration of Vriksharopan Mahayagya 2026, the flagship tree-plantation event under the state's 35-crore sapling drive titled 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' (One Tree in Mother's Name).

Context

The official post, shared live on 12 July 2026, showed CM Yogi Adityanath attending the launch ceremony of the Vriksharopan Mahayagya 2026 — the annual mass tree-plantation ritual organised by the Uttar Pradesh government. The event is part of the broader 35-crore plantation Maha-Abhiyan (mega campaign) running under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' banner. The campaign urges citizens across the state to plant a sapling and dedicate it to their mothers, combining environmental action with an emotional, citizen-participation hook.

Policy Backdrop

Uttar Pradesh launched the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign in 2024, setting ambitious crore-level sapling targets that have been revised upward each successive year. The initiative aligns with India's national afforestation commitments and the state's own climate-action goals. CM Yogi Adityanath has presided over multiple large-scale, government-led plantation drives since taking office in 2017, making annual Vriksharopan events a signature environmental feature of his administration. The 35-crore target for 2026 represents one of the most ambitious single-season plantation goals the state has announced.

Stakeholders and Impact

The campaign directly involves citizens of Uttar Pradesh, local communities, gram panchayats, urban bodies, and state forest department personnel, all of whom are mobilised to collectively plant and nurture saplings. Schools, colleges, and self-help groups are typically drawn into such drives as frontline participants. If realised, a 35-crore sapling campaign would add significant green cover to one of India's most populous and densely settled states, with long-term implications for air quality, groundwater recharge, and biodiversity in the Gangetic Plain region.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department's monitoring mechanisms for sapling survival rates — a metric that has historically determined the real-world impact of such drives beyond headline numbers. Mid-year and end-of-season reviews by the department will be closely watched to assess how much of the 35-crore target translates into established green cover. The government's ability to sustain community engagement beyond the launch event will be critical to the campaign's long-term credibility and environmental outcomes.