Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, carried forward his daily tree-plantation pledge in New Delhi, joining Member of Parliament Yogender Chandol and fellow colleagues for a sapling-planting drive. The minister used the occasion to draw a parallel between a reported Canadian city's move to grant legal living-being status to a tree and India's centuries-old tradition of tree reverence.

Context

Chouhan opened his post by referencing a newspaper report he read that day, noting that a city in Canada had reportedly granted a tree the status of a living being. He connected this development to Indian philosophical tradition: 'Bharatiya sanskriti mein hum pedo mein ek hi chetna maante hain' — 'In Indian culture, we believe that the same consciousness that exists in us also exists in trees; we consider them inseparable from us.' He added that this belief is the root of the ancient tradition of worshipping trees.

The minister framed tree-planting in spiritual terms, saying: 'Planting a tree is planting life itself, because it is trees that give life to us and to the entire world — whether insects, birds, or any living being.' He concluded that daily tree-planting feels to him like 'the greatest service one can render to the world.'

Policy Backdrop

India's institutional commitment to afforestation stretches back to 1950, when Van Mahotsav — an annual tree-planting festival — was launched by K. M. Munshi to promote nationwide greening. The National Mission for a Green India, approved in 2014 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, further formalised targets to expand forest and tree cover across the country.

Urban afforestation has gained additional momentum through schemes such as the Nagar Van Yojana, which aims to develop urban forests in cities and towns. The Forest Conservation Act, 1980 remains the foundational regulatory instrument protecting existing forests while mandating compensatory afforestation where diversions occur.

Stakeholders and Impact

Chouhan's #OnePlantADay campaign, maintained as a personal daily routine, is aimed at modelling civic behaviour for parliamentarians, urban residents, and the broader public. By conducting the drive alongside MP Yogender Chandol and other colleagues, the initiative carries both symbolic and institutional weight — signalling that elected representatives are expected to participate directly in conservation efforts.

Environmental groups and urban residents in New Delhi stand to benefit from increased green cover, which helps moderate the capital's heat-island effect, improve air quality, and support urban biodiversity including birds and insects — species Chouhan explicitly mentioned in his appeal.

What's Next

Chouhan closed his post with a call to action: 'Let us also consider trees as members of our family and resolve to protect nature by planting as many trees as possible.' Progress on urban forestry targets under the Nagar Van Yojana and any environment-related legislative agenda in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament will indicate how this personal commitment translates into broader policy action. India's participation in international biodiversity and climate forums later in 2026 may also provide a platform to showcase such grassroots-to-government plantation initiatives.