Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Friday, 12 June 2026 participated in a tree-plantation drive in Udhampur, planting a sapling in his mother's name as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, marking the 12th anniversary of the Modi government.

Context

Writing on X in Hindi, Dr. Singh said he was honoured — 'paudharopan karne ka saubhagya prapt hua' (received the privilege of planting a sapling) — in Udhampur alongside the BJP Mahila Morcha (Women's Wing) and BJP Yuva Morcha (Youth Wing). He planted the sapling in the name of his mother, in keeping with the campaign's central idea of honouring mothers through an act of environmental stewardship. He urged citizens: 'Let us all be part of this inspiring campaign and carry forward this resolve for environmental protection.'

The event was held under the hashtag #12YearsofSeva, framing the plantation drive within the ruling party's broader commemoration of a decade-plus in government.

Policy Backdrop

The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign was launched by PM Modi as a nationwide citizen-participation afforestation initiative encouraging every Indian to plant a tree dedicated to their mother. The drive builds on a pattern of large-scale, symbolically resonant environmental campaigns that the NDA government has used since 2014, when the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan established the template of mobilising public participation around a values-laden message.

The campaign draws on the longstanding tradition of Van Mahotsav, India's annual tree-planting festival, while adding a personal and familial dimension intended to deepen citizen engagement. Frontal organisations such as the Mahila Morcha and Yuva Morcha have been deployed at the district level to amplify reach across constituencies.

Stakeholders and Impact

Udhampur, Dr. Singh's parliamentary constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, served as the site for this edition of the drive. The participation of both the women's and youth wings of the BJP indicates coordinated grassroots mobilisation rather than a purely individual gesture. Local communities and party workers in the constituency are the immediate stakeholders, with the plantation contributing — at least symbolically — to urban and peri-urban green cover in the region.

Such events also serve as visible proof-points for the government's environmental commitments at the local level, connecting national policy goals to on-the-ground action in a constituency that straddles the ecologically sensitive foothills of the Shivalik range.

What's Next

The #12YearsofSeva commemorations are expected to see similar plantation events replicated by BJP ministers and legislators across the country in the coming days. Observers will watch for official data on the cumulative number of saplings planted under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign as part of the anniversary reporting. Whether the government releases a consolidated tally tied to the 12-year milestone could determine the campaign's visibility in the next news cycle. For Udhampur specifically, follow-up on the survival rate and maintenance of saplings planted during such drives remains a recurring accountability question raised by environmental groups.