Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, 6 July 2026, claimed that the state has conducted plantation of 242 crore saplings over the past nine years, attributing the drive to the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserting that Uttar Pradesh leads the country in tree plantation activity.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, CM Yogi Adityanath wrote: 'आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी की प्रेरणा से बीते 9 वर्षों में उत्तर प्रदेश के अंदर 242 करोड़ पौधरोपण हुआ है। पौधरोपण में यूपी अग्रणी है...' ['Inspired by the respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in the past 9 years, 242 crore tree plantations have taken place in Uttar Pradesh. UP is a leader in tree plantation...']. The post was accompanied by a video, likely showcasing plantation activity in the state. The claim covers the period broadly coinciding with Yogi Adityanath's tenure as Chief Minister since 2017.

Policy Backdrop

The post aligns with India's National Mission for a Green India, launched in 2014, which provides the central framework for expanding forest and tree cover through active state participation. Uttar Pradesh has been a consistent participant in large-scale plantation exercises under this framework, organising a single-day plantation drive of over 22 crore saplings in 2019, which was claimed as a world record at the time. The announcement comes during the monsoon season — traditionally the peak period for plantation campaigns across Indian states — when soil conditions favour sapling survival rates.

The BJP-led state government has regularly publicised cumulative afforestation figures as evidence of alignment with central environmental priorities. Such announcements form part of a broader pattern of state-level reporting on green cover expansion, often timed to coincide with national climate commitments and environmental milestones.

Stakeholders and Impact

Rural communities and the Uttar Pradesh state forest department are the primary stakeholders in these plantation drives, which span government land, panchayat areas, riverbanks, and roadsides across India's most populous state. Large-scale afforestation, if sustained, can contribute to soil conservation, groundwater recharge, and reduction of extreme heat in densely populated districts. The scale of the claimed figure — 242 crore saplings over nine years — would represent one of the largest sub-national plantation programmes in the world, though independent verification of cumulative survival rates remains a separate metric from plantation numbers alone.

What's Next

The next India State of Forest Report, released periodically by the Forest Survey of India, will be a key document against which such cumulative plantation claims can be assessed in terms of actual green cover change in Uttar Pradesh. Observers will also watch state budget allocations for 2026-27 to gauge the financial commitment behind continued plantation targets. As the monsoon season progresses, further announcements on single-day or seasonal plantation milestones from the state government are expected.