Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday, 7 July 2025, declared that the state has secured the third position in India for forest and tree cover expansion, recording a net addition of 558 square kilometres over the past two years. Speaking at the State-Level Van Mahotsav event in Bhubaneswar, Majhi framed the achievement as proof that development and environmental conservation are mutually reinforcing goals.

Key Developments at Van Mahotsav

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Majhi said, “Extensive plantation is the only long-term solution to tackling global climate change and increasingly severe heatwaves. Development and environmental conservation are not contradictory; rather, they complement each other.” He credited this philosophy for Odisha’s rise as one of the country’s leading states in green cover creation.

During 2025-26, the state planted 5.65 lakh saplings across 774 hectares. For 2026-27, the target has been scaled up sharply to nearly 9 lakh saplings over 2,702 hectares. Under the Expanded Green Belt Scheme, an additional 15.93 lakh saplings are to be planted over 358 hectares in the current year, while nearly 6.95 lakh saplings are earmarked specifically for urban pollution reduction.

Sabuja Mahanadi Mission and River Conservation

A centrepiece of Odisha’s green strategy is the Sabuja Mahanadi Mission, under which a 1.5-kilometre-wide green belt is being developed along the banks of seven rivers — the Mahanadi, Tel, Ib, Brahmani, Rushikulya, Baitarani, and Vansadhara — to safeguard their perennial flow. This river-corridor approach represents one of the more ambitious ecological interventions in the state’s recent history.

Livelihood and Forest Restoration Programmes

Under the Ama Jangal Yojana, 19,975 hectares of degraded forests have been restored, and 43.18 lakh local beneficiaries have been covered through livelihood-based programmes worth ₹1,488.52 crore. The scheme ties ecological restoration directly to rural income generation — a model that analysts note is gaining traction in forest-dependent states.

Under the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) scheme, plantation is targeted across more than 20,562 hectares of forest land in the coming year. Additionally, 1,210 Forest Protection Committees are participating in the Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project-II (OFSDP-II), implemented with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

For coastal resilience, mangrove plantations are being developed over 89 hectares under the Central Government’s MISHTI scheme, while 2,405 hectares of saline forests are being restored under the ECRICC project.

Lightning Safety and New Employment Mission

In a distinctive initiative, 17.90 lakh palm saplings were planted during the last financial year as a measure to reduce the impact of lightning strikes — a recurring hazard in Odisha. From 1 July 2025, the jointly launched Viksit Bharat – Rozgar Guarantee and Livelihood Mission (Rural) is linking plantation activities with employment generation, combining ecological and economic objectives under a single framework.

Chief Minister Majhi also acknowledged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, noting that the people of Odisha have turned it into a mass movement. The Union government has set a target of planting 3.76 crore saplings in the state during the current year. Majhi urged voluntary organisations, environmentalists, and citizens to plant more trees and uphold environmental regulations strictly.