CM Saini chairs 77th Van Mahotsav live from Karnal
Synopsis
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini livestreamed the 77th Van Mahotsav from Karnal on 30 July 2026, marking 76 years of India's annual afforestation festival first launched by K.M. Munshi in 1950. The event aligns Haryana's plantation drive with national Green India Mission commitments.
Key Takeaways
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini hosted and livestreamed the 77th Van Mahotsav on 30 July 2026 .
The event was held in Karnal , a major agricultural district in Haryana.
Van Mahotsav was launched in 1950 by Union Minister K.M.
Munshi to promote mass afforestation every monsoon season.
Haryana aligns its annual plantation drives with national targets under the Green India Mission and state forest policy.
Specific sapling counts and plantation targets for this edition are yet to be confirmed from official sources.
Every July, India's oldest afforestation drive returns — and this year, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini took it live. On Thursday, 30 July 2026, Saini streamed the 77th Van Mahotsav celebrations from Karnal, marking seven-and-a-half decades of a tree-planting tradition that predates the republic itself.
A festival older than the Indian constitution
Van Mahotsav is not a modern green-branding exercise. It was born in 1950, conceived by then Union Agriculture Minister K.M. Munshi as a direct response to India's post-partition deforestation crisis. The idea was radical for its time: mobilise citizens, not just forest officials, to plant trees en masse every monsoon. Seventy-seven editions later, the festival has outlasted governments, policies, and entire political generations — a rare continuity in Indian public life.Why Karnal, and what it signals
Karnal is no accidental choice for a flagship state event. The district sits at the heart of Haryana's agricultural belt, where groundwater depletion and soil degradation have made green cover a measurable economic concern, not just an environmental one. Hosting Van Mahotsav here is a signal: afforestation in Haryana is being framed as a farming-support measure, not merely a ceremonial ritual. State forest department staff and Haryana residents are the primary stakeholders in any plantation drive that follows the event.Haryana's forest cover and national targets
State governments organise Van Mahotsav each July in alignment with national commitments under the Green India Mission and state forest policy frameworks. Haryana, with relatively low natural forest cover compared to hill states, has consistently used the annual festival to anchor its plantation targets. The 77th edition continues that pattern — though specific sapling counts or district-level targets announced during today's programme remain to be confirmed from official sources. Seven decades on, a single minister's monsoon idea has become a national ritual. Whether today's saplings survive the season is the only number that will matter come next July.Point of View
Greening the agricultural heartland carries dual optics: environmental credibility and farmer outreach. The 77th edition also arrives as state governments face increasing scrutiny over sapling survival rates, making the follow-through after the cameras leave the more consequential story. Whether this edition produces verifiable plantation data will determine if Van Mahotsav in Haryana remains ritual or becomes policy.
NationPress
30 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Van Mahotsav and when did it start?
Van Mahotsav is India's annual tree-planting festival, launched in 1950 by then Union Minister K.M. Munshi to encourage mass afforestation during the monsoon season. It is observed every July across states.
Where was the 77th Van Mahotsav held in Haryana?
The 77th Van Mahotsav in Haryana was held in Karnal , with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini presiding over the event on 30 July 2026 .
Who is Nayab Singh Saini?
Nayab Singh Saini is the Chief Minister of Haryana and a senior BJP leader who assumed office in March 2024 .
Why is Van Mahotsav important for Haryana?
Haryana has relatively low natural forest cover and faces groundwater depletion in its agricultural belt. Van Mahotsav serves as the state's primary annual platform to anchor plantation targets aligned with the national Green India Mission .
How many editions of Van Mahotsav have been held?
The 2026 edition marks the 77th Van Mahotsav , reflecting over seven decades of continuous observance since the festival's inception in 1950.
