On the auspicious occasion of Hariyali Amavasya, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joined a large-scale plantation drive at PBG Ground, Central Ridge, New Delhi on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 — turning a traditional Hindu observance into a nationwide call for environmental action.

Hariyali Amavasya and the pledge that goes beyond planting

Chouhan planted a sapling at the event and framed the gesture as something more binding than a single-day gesture. 'Hamara sankalp kewal paudha lagane tak seemit nahin' — 'Our resolve does not end at planting,' he said, 'but extends to nurturing the sapling until it becomes a tree and ensuring a green future for generations to come.' The distinction matters: India's plantation drives have long been criticised for high sapling mortality, and the minister's emphasis on long-term stewardship signals an awareness of that gap.

Hariyali Amavasya, observed on the new moon of the Shravan month, has for centuries been associated with reverence for nature and tree planting in Hindu tradition. Linking a government campaign to this calendar moment is a deliberate strategy to embed environmental action in cultural practice rather than confine it to policy circulars.

Vriksh Mitra Parivar takes the drive nationwide

The Delhi event was the visible tip of a far larger mobilisation. Across the country, members of the Vriksh Mitra Parivar — a volunteer network promoted for tree plantation and maintenance — participated simultaneously, giving the initiative what Chouhan called the character of a 'jan abhiyan', a people's campaign. The network's involvement shifts the model from a top-down government programme to one that recruits citizens as long-term custodians of urban and rural green cover.

Delhi Cabinet Ministers P. Sahib Singh and M.S. Sirsa were present at the Central Ridge event alongside other dignitaries and environment enthusiasts, signalling cross-government participation in the drive.

Central Ridge and India's urban greening imperative

Central Ridge is one of Delhi's protected forest pockets — a green lung in a city that routinely ranks among the world's most polluted. Hosting a high-profile plantation drive here carries symbolic weight: it underscores the fragility and importance of urban forest reserves at a time when Delhi's air quality remains a persistent public-health concern.

India's plantation tradition has institutional roots going back to 1950, when Van Mahotsav was launched to promote afforestation. The National Mission for a Green India, approved in 2014, set formal targets for expanding forest and tree cover while improving ecosystem services. Chouhan's campaign sits within that long policy lineage — but its emphasis on citizen ownership through Vriksh Mitra Parivar represents an attempt to solve the accountability gap that has undermined earlier drives.

Chouhan closed with a rallying call: 'Vriksh lagaen, vriksh bachaen aur dharti ko hara-bhara banane ke is sankalp ko nirantar aage badhaen' — 'Plant trees, save trees, and keep advancing this resolve to make the earth green.' The line is designed to travel — a slogan that volunteers can carry long after the cameras leave Central Ridge.