Shivraj plants saplings in Delhi, calls public to join Aug 12 drive
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
One sapling at a time, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is turning a personal daily pledge into a public movement — and on Monday, 10 August 2026, he took that pledge to New Delhi, planting saplings alongside environment enthusiasts as part of his ongoing #OnePlantADay campaign.
The Hariyali Amavasya call to action
Chouhan is now widening the campaign's reach ahead of Hariyali Amavasya on 12 August, a traditional festival observed across northern and central India that has long been associated with community tree-planting during the monsoon season. He has invited citizens to join a large-scale plantation drive on that day by giving a missed call to 8929629475 — a low-barrier nudge designed to pull in participants who might otherwise scroll past.
Those who plant saplings are being asked to upload photographs to a dedicated campaign portal, reinforcing a sense of collective accountability and visible momentum around what can otherwise feel like a solitary act.
A minister's daily sapling, a broader afforestation push
The paudharopan (tree-planting) drive fits a pattern Chouhan has cultivated over years in public life — using cultural touchpoints and personal example to draw ordinary citizens into environmental action. As a four-term Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, he frequently anchored state afforestation drives around festivals and community rituals, a playbook he appears to be scaling nationally from his current ministerial perch.
Indian ministers routinely share tree-planting pledges on social media, but the missed-call mechanism and the upload portal give this particular campaign a measurable, participatory spine that sets it apart from a simple photo-op.