Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, launched a series of major civic and environmental initiatives in Delhi, anchored by the Mission 70 Lakh Poudharopan Abhiyan — a campaign to plant 70 lakh (seven million) native trees across the national capital.

Context

Addressing the event, Shah announced that the Delhi Ridge — the capital's primary green lung and a northern extension of the ancient Aravalli Range — will undergo ecological restoration by removing invasive and toxic tree species. In their place, long-lived native varieties such as Peepal, Banyan, Neem, and Jamun — trees capable of living over 100 years — will be planted to transform the Ridge into what he described as 'Delhi ka Green Lungs' (Delhi's Green Lungs).

The campaign also envisions the development of art-themed special forests, the rejuvenation of over 70 ponds and water bodies, and the preservation of archaeological structures within the Ridge zone.

Policy Backdrop

The Delhi Ridge has been protected under reserved forest notifications since the 1990s and 2000s, aimed at curbing encroachment and preserving biodiversity in an increasingly urbanised capital. Ecologists have long argued that restoring native canopy cover is critical to addressing Delhi's air pollution and urban heat island effect, making the shift from invasive to indigenous species a policy priority with scientific backing.

The electric bus component of Tuesday's launch builds on the momentum of the FAME-II scheme introduced in 2019, which accelerated electric vehicle deployment across Indian cities to reduce vehicular emissions. Delhi's public transport network has been a focal point of that national push.

Stakeholders and Impact

Shah also inaugurated the operational rollout of 300 electric buses equipped with modern facilities, along with the e-inauguration of 3 newly constructed vehicle depots and an automated vehicle testing station. These additions are expected to directly benefit Delhi's public transport users by expanding fleet capacity and improving service reliability.

In a separate but concurrent development, Shah laid the digital foundation stone (e-shilanayas) for a High Security Prison in Narela, a planned sub-city in northwest Delhi. The facility is intended to modernise the capital's law-and-order infrastructure, though specific capacity figures and an operational timeline have not been officially confirmed.

What's Next

The success of the Mission 70 Lakh campaign will hinge on survival rates of the planted native species over the coming monsoon seasons and measurable improvements in Delhi's air quality indices. Officials and environmentalists are expected to track these metrics closely as benchmarks for the initiative's ecological impact.

Construction milestones for the Narela High Security Prison and the integration of the three new depots into Delhi's public transport network will be the next key indicators of progress on the urban infrastructure front. Together, these initiatives represent a broad central government push to simultaneously address Delhi's environmental, mobility, and security challenges.