Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday, 12 July 2026 announced that the state planted more than 35 crore saplings in a single day under the Vriksharopan Mahayagya-2026, a mass tree-plantation drive linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, calling it a new golden chapter in the history of nature conservation.

Context

Invoking the ancient Vedic verse 'Mata Bhoomi: Putro'ham Prithivyah' ('The Earth is my mother; I am her son'), Chief Minister Adityanath framed the plantation drive as a living resolve of Uttar Pradesh's people — a virat lok-yagya (grand people's ritual) expressing gratitude to nature, reverence for Mother Earth, and responsibility towards future generations. He extended heartfelt congratulations to citizens, elected representatives, farmers, women, youth, social and religious organisations, and dedicated employees of @UPGovt for turning the event into a mass movement.

The drive is formally titled Vriksharopan Mahayagya-2026 and falls under Prime Minister Modi's inspirational call of 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' — a nationwide campaign that urges every Indian to plant a tree as a tribute to their mother and as an act of environmental stewardship.

Policy Backdrop

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative in June 2024 on World Environment Day, calling on citizens across the country to plant trees and dedicate them to their mothers. The campaign has since been adopted as a vehicle for state-level afforestation targets, with Uttar Pradesh — India's most populous state — positioning itself as a frontrunner in execution.

Mass single-day plantation drives have become a recurring feature of Uttar Pradesh's environmental calendar under the current administration, aligning state-level delivery with the central government's broader push to increase India's forest and tree cover. These events are designed to combine ecological objectives with public participation, giving afforestation the character of a community movement rather than a bureaucratic exercise.

Stakeholders and Impact

The claimed figure of 35 crore-plus saplings in a single day, if verified, would represent a significant single-day afforestation effort. Chief Minister Adityanath specifically acknowledged farmers, women (referred to as matrishakti), youth, and social and religious organisations as the driving force behind converting a government scheme into a genuine public movement. Their participation underscores the campaign's strategy of community ownership over plantation targets.

Ecologists and policy observers note that the long-term value of such drives depends critically on sapling survival rates and follow-up maintenance. State and central government forestry departments are expected to track integration of these plantations into district-level green-cover targets in subsequent years.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to independent verification of the 35 crore sapling count and, more importantly, to survival audits that determine what proportion of planted saplings take root. The Uttar Pradesh government is expected to submit plantation data to central forestry authorities as part of national afforestation monitoring. How these numbers feed into India's broader commitments on tree cover and climate targets will be closely watched by environmentalists and policymakers alike. The success of Vriksharopan Mahayagya-2026 could also set the template for similar large-scale drives in other BJP-governed states ahead of national environmental reporting cycles.