Puri backs PM Modi's Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam tree drive
Synopsis
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri amplified PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat appeal, urging Indians to plant a tree in their mother's name under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, calling each sapling a legacy of clean air and greenery for future generations.
Key Takeaways
Hardeep Singh Puri on 27 July 2026 publicly backed the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam tree plantation campaign via a Hindi post on X.
PM Narendra Modi originally launched Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam during a 2024 episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat .
The campaign asks citizens to plant a tree on a personal occasion — birthday, anniversary, or any milestone — and dedicate it to their mother.
Puri emphasised that trees shelter 'countless living beings,' framing the drive as a biodiversity initiative, not merely a green-cover target.
India's tradition of public plantation drives dates to Van Mahotsav , first observed in 1950 , with current campaigns shifting focus to citizen-led, emotionally anchored action.
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday, 27 July 2026 amplified Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal from Mann Ki Baat to plant trees on personal occasions, urging citizens to dedicate a sapling to their mothers under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign.
Context
Puri's post, written in Hindi, draws directly from the Prime Minister's call in Mann Ki Baat — the monthly radio address in which PM Modi asked every Indian to connect a special life occasion with nature. Translating the sentiment, Puri wrote: 'A small sapling planted today can become a legacy of greenery, clean air, and a beautiful future for generations to come.'
He added that trees are not only for human beings — 'वे अनगिनत जीवों के घर भी होते हैं' ('they are also the homes of countless living beings') — framing tree plantation as an act of ecological responsibility, not merely a civic gesture.
Policy Backdrop
The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign was launched by PM Modi during a 2024 episode of Mann Ki Baat, asking citizens to plant a tree in honour of their mothers and link personal milestones — birthdays, anniversaries, graduations — with afforestation. The initiative sits within a longer tradition: Van Mahotsav, India's annual tree plantation festival, has been observed since 1950 to build public participation in green-cover expansion.
The current framing marks a deliberate shift from top-down plantation drives to citizen-owned action, with cultural and emotional hooks — particularly the reverence for mothers — used to sustain public momentum between large government programmes.
Stakeholders and Impact
The campaign's primary audience is the general public, with environmental groups and state governments serving as ground-level implementers. By tying tree plantation to personal occasions, the campaign seeks to embed the habit in everyday life rather than confining it to designated 'green days.'
Puri's amplification carries institutional weight: as a senior BJP cabinet minister and former career diplomat, his endorsement signals cross-ministerial support for what is fundamentally an environment-sector initiative, broadening its reach beyond the forest and environment ministries.
What's Next
State governments are expected to report plantation numbers under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam drive on an ongoing basis, and future episodes of Mann Ki Baat may carry progress updates or renewed appeals. Citizens can participate by planting a sapling on any personal occasion and sharing their effort under the campaign's social-media outreach.
The broader test for such citizen-led drives is sustained follow-through — whether saplings survive past the first monsoon season and whether the emotional momentum translates into measurable increases in India's green cover over the coming years.
Point of View
Converting a radio appeal into a multi-ministry social-media cascade. The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign is notable for its cultural engineering: by invoking motherhood, it attempts to make tree plantation a recurring personal ritual rather than a one-off civic duty. The real measure of success, however, will be survival rates of planted saplings and independent verification of green-cover gains — metrics that citizen campaigns have historically struggled to track.
NationPress
26 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign?
Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam ('One Tree in Mother's Name') is a nationwide tree plantation initiative launched by PM Narendra Modi during Mann Ki Baat in 2024, asking citizens to plant a tree on a personal occasion and dedicate it to their mother.
What did Hardeep Singh Puri say about tree plantation?
On 27 July 2026, Puri posted in Hindi that a small sapling planted today can become a legacy of greenery and clean air for future generations, and called on citizens to plant a tree in their mother's name under PM Modi's appeal from Mann Ki Baat.
What is Mann Ki Baat?
Mann Ki Baat is a monthly radio programme hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he addresses citizens on governance, social issues, and public campaigns, including environmental appeals.
Why is the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign significant?
The campaign represents a shift from government-led plantation drives to citizen-owned action, using the cultural reverence for mothers to create a personal, emotional connection with afforestation and biodiversity protection.
How can citizens participate in the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam drive?
Citizens can plant a sapling on any personal occasion — a birthday, anniversary, or milestone — dedicate it to their mother, and share their participation through social media under the campaign's outreach.
