Shivraj Singh Chouhan Plants Tree in Delhi, Invites Public to Join Drive
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a tree in New Delhi on October 15 as part of his daily pledge, urging Indians to join his 'Vriksha Mitra' drive via a missed call or his engagement portal under #OnePlantADay.
Key Takeaways
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a sapling in New Delhi on October 15, 2026 as part of his daily tree-plantation resolve.
He invited citizens to plant trees, nurture them, and contribute to greening the earth under the hashtag #OnePlantADay .
Indians can enrol as a 'Vriksha Mitra' (Friend of Trees) by giving a missed call to 8929629475 .
A dedicated engagement portal is also available for those who wish to join the campaign digitally.
The drive aligns with India's broader national goal of expanding forest and tree cover across the country.
One tree at a time — Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stepped out in New Delhi on Thursday, October 15, 2026, to plant a sapling as part of his daily tree-plantation pledge, and used the moment to call on every Indian to do the same.
Posting on X under the hashtag #OnePlantADay, Chouhan wrote — 'प्रतिदिन पौधरोपण के संकल्प के क्रम में आज नई दिल्ली में पौधा रोपा' ('In keeping with my resolve to plant a tree every day, I planted one in New Delhi today') — and urged followers to plant trees, nurture them, and help make the earth 'green, lush, and beautiful.'
How to join the 'Vriksha Mitra' campaign
The minister pointed citizens to two direct action steps: visit his engagement portal and give a missed call to 8929629475 to enrol as a 'Vriksha Mitra' — literally, 'Friend of Trees.' The missed-call mechanism keeps the barrier to entry near zero, extending the campaign's reach beyond smartphone-savvy urban users to anyone with a basic mobile phone.
Daily pledge, digital push
Chouhan's daily tree-planting routine is part of a broader pattern among senior Indian public figures who use personal social-media visibility to normalise environmental action. By framing plantation as a daily personal habit rather than a one-off event, the campaign sidesteps the criticism often levelled at high-profile 'photo-op' drives — where saplings are planted for cameras and forgotten soon after.
India's ambition to bring roughly one-third of its land area under forest and tree cover is a standing national commitment. Citizen-led, digitally enabled drives of this kind complement larger state and central government afforestation programmes by keeping awareness alive between formal plantation seasons.
As World Environment Days and monsoon plantation windows approach cyclically, campaigns with persistent daily messaging and a simple sign-up mechanism tend to accumulate participation over weeks rather than spiking once and fading — and that sustained momentum is precisely what Chouhan appears to be building here.
The minister's invitation is open: plant a tree, care for it, and join a growing network of Vriksha Mitras. The earth, as he put it, is waiting.
Point of View
Broadcast consistently on social media, is a calculated attempt to shift environmental messaging from periodic government announcements to visible personal action — a softer but potentially stickier form of public mobilisation. For a senior BJP leader heading the Agriculture and Rural Development portfolio, aligning himself visibly with environmental stewardship also reinforces a pro-farmer, pro-land narrative that resonates in rural constituencies. The 'Vriksha Mitra' missed-call mechanism is a low-tech inclusion bridge, echoing the design logic of earlier mass-outreach campaigns that reached feature-phone users in Tier-3 and rural India. Whether the campaign generates verifiable plantation data or remains largely aspirational will determine its long-term policy relevance.
NationPress
15 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shivraj Singh Chouhan's 'Vriksha Mitra' campaign?
'Vriksha Mitra,' meaning Friend of Trees, is a citizen tree-plantation initiative launched by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. People can join by giving a missed call to 8929629475 or visiting his engagement portal, committing to plant and nurture trees.
How can I join the Shivraj Singh Chouhan #OnePlantADay drive?
You can join by giving a missed call to 8929629475 to register as a 'Vriksha Mitra,' or by clicking the link on Chouhan's official engagement portal. The initiative asks participants to plant at least one tree and care for it.
Why is Shivraj Singh Chouhan planting a tree every day?
Chouhan has made a personal daily pledge to plant a tree as part of his environmental awareness drive. He uses his social media presence to document each plantation and encourage citizens to adopt the same habit under #OnePlantADay.
What is the significance of daily tree plantation by Indian ministers?
Senior public figures planting trees daily helps normalise environmental action beyond formal government programmes. It aligns with India's national commitment to expand forest and green cover, and sustained daily messaging can generate wider citizen participation over time.
What does 'Vriksha Mitra' mean?
'Vriksha Mitra' is a Hindi term meaning 'Friend of Trees.' It is the title given to citizens who enrol in Shivraj Singh Chouhan's tree-plantation campaign, pledging to plant and maintain trees to help green India.
