CM Saini Plants Trees in Karnal Under Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam'
Synopsis
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini planted trees at village Kutail in Karnal on July 30, 2026, marking the 77th State-Level Van Mahotsav under PM Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign and urging citizens to commit to nurturing saplings for future generations.
Key Takeaways
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini conducted a tree plantation drive at village Kutail, Karnal on July 30, 2026 .
The event marked the 77th State-Level Van Mahotsav , an annual afforestation festival dating to 1950 .
The drive was held under PM Narendra Modi's national campaign 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' , launched in 2024 .
Saini called on citizens to plant more trees and pledge to care for them, not just plant them.
Van Mahotsav was originally launched by K.M.
Munshi in 1950 to promote large-scale tree planting across India.
At village Kutail in Karnal, Haryana, on Thursday, July 30, 2026, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini picked up a sapling and pressed it into the earth — a gesture that carried the weight of a national campaign and a 76-year-old tradition. The occasion was the 77th State-Level Van Mahotsav, and Saini used it to anchor Haryana's participation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' tree plantation drive.
A campaign rooted in two different eras
Van Mahotsav is not a new idea. It was first organised in 1950 by K.M. Munshi, then Union Agriculture Minister, as a week-long push to get Indians planting trees at scale. Seventy-six years on, the festival still runs — now folded into a newer, more personal frame. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' ('One Tree in Mother's Name') in 2024, asking citizens to dedicate a sapling to their mothers as an act of both love and environmental responsibility. The combination of the century-old ritual and the emotionally resonant new campaign is deliberate: it gives a routine afforestation drive a human hook.
What Saini said at Kutail
Posting in Hindi after the event, Saini wrote that a sapling does more than add greenery — it lays 'aaane waali peedhiyon ke swasth, surakshit aur samridh bhavishya ki mazboot neenv' ('a strong foundation for the healthy, safe and prosperous future of generations to come'). He called on citizens to pledge not just to plant more trees but to nurture them — a nod to the persistent gap between saplings planted and trees that actually survive. His message closed with an appeal to give 'new energy' to what he called a jan abhiyan — a people's movement.
Haryana's role in the national green push
Indian states use Van Mahotsav as an annual checkpoint on afforestation targets, with chief ministers leading plantation events to signal alignment with central policy on green cover and climate resilience. Haryana, a state with significant agricultural land and growing urban pressure, has particular stakes in expanding tree cover. Whether the saplings planted at Kutail on July 30 survive and are tracked will matter more than the ceremony itself — state-level sapling survival rates from this year's Van Mahotsav are the number to watch.
One tree, one pledge — but the real test is always what grows from it.
Point of View
The Kutail event is also a visible alignment with the Modi government's green-cover agenda, reinforcing BJP's national environmental branding at the state level. The harder policy question — whether Haryana's plantation targets translate into surviving tree cover — sits beneath the ceremony and will define the campaign's real legacy.
NationPress
30 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 national tree plantation campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024, encouraging citizens to plant a tree as a tribute to their mothers and contribute to environmental conservation.
What is Van Mahotsav and when did it start?
Van Mahotsav is an annual tree plantation festival in India, first organised in 1950 by K.M. Munshi to promote afforestation. States hold events each year, with the 2026 edition marking the 77th Van Mahotsav.
Where did CM Nayab Singh Saini plant trees on July 30, 2026?
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini planted saplings at village Kutail in Karnal district, Haryana, during the 77th State-Level Van Mahotsav on July 30, 2026.
What did Nayab Singh Saini say about tree plantation?
Saini said a sapling does not merely add greenery but lays the foundation for a healthy, safe, and prosperous future for coming generations. He urged citizens to plant more trees and commit to nurturing them.
How does Haryana participate in the national afforestation drive?
Haryana holds state-level Van Mahotsav events annually, with senior leaders including the Chief Minister leading plantation activities to align with central government targets on green cover and climate resilience.
