Shivraj plants sapling at Bhopal Smart City Park, invites public for Aug 12 drive
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a sapling at Bhopal's Smart City Park on August 1 as part of his daily tree-planting pledge, and called on citizens to join a large Hariyali Amavasya plantation drive on August 12 via missed-call registration.
Key Takeaways
Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a sapling at Smart City Park, Bhopal on August 1, 2026 under his #OnePlantADay pledge.
The event included nephews, nieces, and community members, emphasising grassroots participation.
A mass plantation drive is planned for August 12, 2026 , coinciding with Hariyali Amavasya .
Citizens can register by giving a missed call to 8929629475 .
Smart City Park was developed under India's Smart Cities Mission .
India's organised tree-planting tradition dates to Van Mahotsav , launched in 1950 .
A Union Minister with a shovel in hand — not in a cabinet room — is a deliberate image. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday, August 1, 2026, planted a sapling at Smart City Park in Bhopal, joined by young nephews, nieces, and community members, as part of his self-declared daily tree-planting pledge.
Posting under the hashtag #OnePlantADay, Chouhan wrote: 'प्रतिदिन पौधरोपण के संकल्प के क्रम में' ('In continuation of my resolve to plant a tree every day'), framing the act not as a one-off gesture but as a running personal commitment. The inclusion of family — bhanje-bhaanjiyaan aur bhai-behen ('nephews, nieces, brothers, and sisters') — signals the campaign's community-first pitch.
The August 12 Hariyali Amavasya mobilisation
The post is also a call to action. Chouhan announced a large-scale plantation drive on August 12, timed to coincide with Hariyali Amavasya — a traditional observance long associated with tree planting and reverence for nature. Those wishing to join are invited to give a missed call to 8929629475, a low-barrier registration method designed to pull in participation from across the mobile-user base, including those without smartphones or internet access.
The pairing of a festival date with a modern outreach mechanism is a well-worn playbook in Indian environmental campaigns — and it works. Traditional occasions lend moral weight; missed-call drives remove friction. The real measure will be the turnout on August 12.
Bhopal's Smart City Park and India's afforestation push
Smart City Park was developed under India's Smart Cities Mission, making it a symbolically apt venue — green infrastructure inside an urban modernisation project. The choice of location quietly reinforces the argument that city development and ecological responsibility are not in conflict.
India's tradition of organised tree-planting campaigns stretches back to Van Mahotsav, the annual afforestation festival launched in 1950. Chouhan's #OnePlantADay pledge sits in that lineage, updated for social media and ministerial visibility. Senior ministers modelling personal participation — rather than just issuing directives — has become a recurring feature of India's green-cover drives as the country works to meet its climate commitments.
One sapling at a time, the campaign is building toward a single high-stakes date. Whether the August 12 drive delivers the scale its organisers are aiming for will be the real test of this daily resolve.
Point of View
Repeated personal action to keep an environmental message alive between formal policy announcements. Tying the August 12 drive to Hariyali Amavasya is politically astute: it grounds a government initiative in cultural legitimacy rather than bureaucratic mandate. For a minister whose portfolio spans agriculture and rural development, championing green cover also reinforces a farmer-friendly, land-stewardship identity that plays well in Madhya Pradesh's heartland constituencies.
NationPress
1 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hariyali Amavasya and why is it significant for tree planting?
Hariyali Amavasya is a traditional Hindu observance that falls on the new moon day during the monsoon month of Shravan. It is culturally associated with nature worship and tree planting, making it a popular occasion for afforestation drives across India.
How can I join the August 12 plantation drive announced by Shivraj Chouhan?
Give a missed call to 8929629475 to register for the large-scale plantation drive planned for August 12, 2026 on the occasion of Hariyali Amavasya.
Where is Smart City Park in Bhopal?
Smart City Park is located in Bhopal , the capital of Madhya Pradesh. It was developed under India's Smart Cities Mission as part of urban green-infrastructure initiatives.
What is the #OnePlantADay campaign by Shivraj Singh Chouhan?
#OnePlantADay is a personal pledge by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to plant at least one sapling every day, which he has been documenting publicly on social media to encourage mass participation in afforestation.
What is Van Mahotsav and how does it relate to India's tree-planting campaigns?
Van Mahotsav is India's annual tree-planting festival, launched in 1950 , that established the tradition of organised afforestation drives. Campaigns like #OnePlantADay continue in that lineage, combining ministerial participation with public outreach.
