Shivraj Plants Sapling at Bhopal Smart City Park on Diwali
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a sapling at Bhopal's Smart City Park on Diwali with family, extending his #OnePlantADay commitment into the festival and praying for prosperity in every home.
Key Takeaways
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a sapling at Bhopal's Smart City Park on Diwali as part of his #OnePlantADay daily pledge.
The event was a family occasion, with brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces joining the planting.
Chouhan prayed to Goddess Lakshmi for ' dhan-dhanya, sukh, samridhi aur khushali ' — wealth, grain, happiness and prosperity — in every home.
India's Van Mahotsav tradition of community tree-planting has been observed since 1950 to promote afforestation.
The #OnePlantADay initiative frames the act as a sustained personal discipline rather than a single campaign event.
On the festival of Diwali, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan carried his daily tree-planting pledge into the celebrations, joining family members at Bhopal's Smart City Park to plant a sapling together.
Chouhan shared the moment on X, writing: 'प्रतिदिन पौधरोपण के संकल्प के क्रम में आज दीपावली के पावन पर्व पर भोपाल स्थित स्मार्ट सिटी पार्क में भाई-बहनों एवं भांजे-भांजियों के साथ पौधा रोपा' — 'In continuation of my resolve to plant a sapling every day, I planted a tree today on the auspicious occasion of Diwali at Smart City Park in Bhopal, with brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces.' He added a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi that every home be filled with prosperity, happiness and well-being, closing with 'Shubh Deepawali 🪔' and the hashtag #OnePlantADay.
A daily green pledge that travels with the festival calendar
Chouhan's #OnePlantADay commitment frames tree-planting not as a one-off campaign gesture but as a personal daily discipline — one he has extended even into festival gatherings. By choosing Bhopal's Smart City Park and involving family, the act blends civic symbolism with domestic celebration, the kind of image that travels well beyond a press release.
The practice sits within a long Indian tradition: Van Mahotsav, the national tree-planting festival, has been observed since 1950 as an annual push for afforestation. Ministers and public figures joining plantation drives during festive seasons is a recurring pattern, but the sustained daily framing of #OnePlantADay gives Chouhan's effort a slightly different pitch — rhythm over spectacle.
Diwali, Lakshmi, and the land — a layered message
The invocation of Maa Lakshmi — the goddess of wealth and abundance — alongside a sapling planted in fertile soil is not accidental framing. For a minister whose portfolio spans agriculture and rural development, the imagery of nurturing the earth on a harvest-adjacent festival carries a quiet coherence. The prayer for 'dhan-dhanya, sukh, samridhi aur khushali' — wealth, grain, happiness and prosperity — lands equally as a Diwali blessing and as an aspirational frame for rural India's seasons ahead.
Whether the #OnePlantADay initiative feeds into a broader state or national afforestation target — such as the National Mission for a Green India — remains to be detailed in future communications from the minister's office.
Point of View
Not a bureaucratic target. For a minister overseeing both agriculture and rural development, connecting land stewardship to a harvest-season festival reinforces a cohesive identity. The persistence of #OnePlantADay across the calendar signals an attempt to build a personal brand around environmental continuity, distinguishing symbolic gestures from sustained commitment. How the initiative translates into measurable afforestation outcomes will determine whether the optics find lasting policy weight.
NationPress
8 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shivraj Singh Chouhan's #OnePlantADay initiative?
#OnePlantADay is a personal daily pledge by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to plant at least one sapling every day, which he has continued through festivals including Diwali.
Where did Shivraj Chouhan plant a tree on Diwali 2026?
He planted a sapling at the Smart City Park in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, accompanied by family members.
What is Van Mahotsav and how does it relate to this event?
Van Mahotsav is India's annual tree-planting festival observed since 1950 to promote afforestation. Chouhan's Diwali planting continues this broader tradition of public figures undertaking plantation drives during festive occasions.
What did Shivraj Singh Chouhan pray for on Diwali?
He invoked Goddess Lakshmi and prayed that every home be filled with wealth, grain, happiness, prosperity and well-being.
What is the National Mission for a Green India?
It is a Government of India scheme aimed at protecting, restoring and enhancing India's forest cover and ecosystem services. Ministerial tree-planting drives are broadly aligned with its afforestation targets, though a specific link to Chouhan's personal initiative has not been officially stated.
