Shivraj plants sapling at Bhopal Smart City Park on Dussehra
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a sapling at Bhopal's Smart City Park on Vijayadashami, continuing his daily tree-plantation pledge under the #OnePlantADay campaign and calling on citizens to commit to greening India.
Key Takeaways
Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a sapling at Smart City Park, Bhopal on Vijayadashami, 20 October 2026 .
The act is part of his daily #OnePlantADay pledge, linking personal practice to a public call to action.
He described trees as 'the foundation of life and symbols of Earth's prosperity and balance.' Smart City Park is developed under India's Smart Cities Mission , which includes urban greening as a core civic goal.
India's National Mission for a Green India (2014) set targets for increasing forest and tree cover under the National Action Plan on Climate Change.
Indian leaders have used festivals for afforestation messaging since Van Mahotsav was launched in 1950 .
On the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami 2026, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan carried forward his daily tree-plantation pledge by planting a sapling at Smart City Park in Bhopal — turning one of India's most celebrated festivals into a quiet, green act of resolve.
Posting on Tuesday, 20 October, Chouhan wrote in Hindi: 'Pratideen paudharopan ke sankalp ke kram mein aaj Vijayadashami ke pavan avsar par Bhopal sthit Smart City Park mein paudha ropa' — ('As part of my daily tree-plantation resolve, I planted a sapling today on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami at the Smart City Park in Bhopal'). He urged citizens to join him: 'Let all of us take a pledge on this sacred occasion to plant as many saplings as possible, care for them, and actively contribute to keeping our Earth green, healthy and prosperous.'
Dussehra as a green classroom
Chouhan's choice of Vijayadashami — the festival of victory of good over evil — as the backdrop for an afforestation pledge is deliberate optics with genuine roots. Indian leaders have long used high-attendance festivals to amplify conservation messages, and the tradition stretches back to Van Mahotsav, the national tree-plantation festival launched in 1950 to promote widespread afforestation across independent India. By grafting a personal daily practice onto a communal celebration, Chouhan widened the audience for the #OnePlantADay hashtag beyond his usual follower base.
Smart City Park and Bhopal's urban green push
Bhopal's Smart City Park is part of the urban green infrastructure developed under India's Smart Cities Mission, which frames public parks and tree cover as essential civic amenities alongside roads and digital utilities. Choosing this site underscores how urban greening — not just forest-belt afforestation — is now a stated policy priority. The National Mission for a Green India, approved in 2014 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, set explicit targets for increasing both forest and tree cover; urban parks and avenue plantations count toward those goals.
A minister's daily pledge meets a national target
For a minister whose portfolio spans agriculture, farmers' welfare and rural development, the act of planting a tree carries added weight: it signals a connection between soil health, rural livelihoods, and ecological balance that sits at the heart of India's long-term agrarian policy. Chouhan has framed trees as 'not just the foundation of life, but symbols of the Earth's prosperity and balance' — language that bridges cultural reverence and scientific ecology. Whether the #OnePlantADay campaign scales into a structured government initiative remains to watch.
One sapling at a time, on the day India celebrates the triumph of right over wrong — the symbolism is hard to miss.
Point of View
High visibility, and largely uncontroversial. For a minister overseeing agriculture and rural development, consistent afforestation optics reinforce a pastoral, farmer-friendly identity that has defined his brand since his Madhya Pradesh chief-ministership. The #OnePlantADay framing attempts to shift the narrative from one-off Van Mahotsav drives to a year-round civic habit — a subtle but significant upgrade in ambition. If the campaign acquires institutional backing through the Smart Cities Mission or state forest departments, it could evolve from symbolic gesture into measurable policy traction.
NationPress
20 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Shivraj Singh Chouhan do on Vijayadashami 2026?
He planted a sapling at Smart City Park in Bhopal on 20 October 2026 as part of his daily #OnePlantADay tree-plantation pledge and called on citizens to do the same.
What is the #OnePlantADay campaign?
#OnePlantADay is a personal daily tree-plantation pledge promoted by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, encouraging individuals to plant and care for at least one sapling every day.
Where is Bhopal's Smart City Park?
Smart City Park is an urban green space in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, developed as part of India's Smart Cities Mission to improve public amenities and greenery in the city.
What is India's National Mission for a Green India?
The National Mission for a Green India is a government programme approved in 2014 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, aimed at increasing and improving India's forest and tree cover.
Why do Indian leaders plant trees on festivals like Dussehra?
Indian leaders use high-attendance festivals to amplify conservation and afforestation messages, a tradition rooted in Van Mahotsav — India's national tree-plantation festival launched in 1950.
