Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh participated in the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (One Tree in Mother's Name) campaign on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, planting a sapling at NECTAR, Shillong in memory of his mother and urging citizens across the country to join the initiative.

Context

Posting on X, Dr. Singh wrote: 'आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी द्वारा आरंभ किए गए #एक_पेड़_माँ_के_नाम अभियान के अंतर्गत आज #NECTOR #Shillong में अपनी माताजी के नाम से पौधारोपण करने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ एवं सभी से इस अभियान में शामिल होने की अपील की।' — 'Under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign initiated by respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, I had the honour of planting a sapling in the name of my mother at NECTAR, Shillong today, and appealed to everyone to join this campaign.' The minister's participation at an institutional scientific venue underscores the government's effort to embed citizen-led environmental action within its own agencies.

Policy Backdrop

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign on 5 June 2024, coinciding with World Environment Day, calling on every Indian to plant at least one tree dedicated to their mother as a gesture combining cultural sentiment with ecological responsibility. The campaign sits within India's broader commitments under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, which sets ambitious afforestation and green-cover targets. Union ministers and senior officials have since been encouraged to lead by example, extending plantation drives beyond ceremonial occasions into institutional and scientific settings. NECTAR — the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach — is an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology headquartered in Shillong, Meghalaya. Its mandate focuses on deploying science and technology solutions for the development of India's North East region, making it a symbolically apt venue for a minister who holds independent charge of the science portfolio.

Stakeholders and Impact

The campaign's reach extends to state governments, local bodies, schools, and the general public, all of whom are encouraged to register plantation activities. By conducting the drive at a government scientific institution in the North East, Dr. Singh signals that the initiative is not confined to urban centres or ceremonial events but is expected to permeate every arm of the administration. The North East, which holds some of India's richest biodiversity, is a particularly significant geography for afforestation efforts, given the region's ecological sensitivity and ongoing pressures from land-use change.

What's Next

State governments and central agencies are expected to compile cumulative sapling counts under the campaign, with potential integration into compensatory afforestation data tracked under amendments to the Forest Conservation Act. As the campaign matures beyond its second year, scrutiny is likely to increase around verified survival rates of planted saplings — a metric environmentalists consider more meaningful than raw plantation numbers. Dr. Singh's public appeal through social media adds momentum to the campaign's grassroots outreach ahead of the monsoon planting season, traditionally the most active period for afforestation drives across India.