Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan participated in a tree-plantation drive at the Nabanna (New Secretariat Building) complex in Kolkata on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, continuing his daily pledge to plant at least one sapling every day under the #OnePlantADay initiative.

Context

Chouhan posted on X, describing Kolkata as 'adhyatm, kala, sanskriti aur mahan vibhutiyon ki pavan bhoomi' (the sacred land of spirituality, art, culture, and great personalities). He planted saplings at the Nabanna compound alongside fellow participants and called on citizens to join the effort to make the earth 'green, clean, beautiful, and prosperous.'

The minister has been maintaining a personal commitment to plant at least one tree every day, using his social media presence to document each instance and encourage public participation in afforestation.

Policy Backdrop

India's tradition of organised tree-planting dates to 1950, when the annual Van Mahotsav festival was launched to promote afforestation across states. Decades later, the National Mission for a Green India — one of eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change — was approved in 2014 to systematically expand forest and tree cover nationwide.

Indian ministers and public officials frequently undertake symbolic plantation events at government premises, aligning such drives with domestic green-cover targets and international climate commitments. The #OnePlantADay hashtag reflects a broader push to make individual tree-planting a daily civic habit rather than a once-a-year ceremonial act.

Stakeholders and Impact

Nabanna, the administrative headquarters of the West Bengal government located on the banks of the Hooghly in Howrah, served as the backdrop for the event. The choice of a prominent state government complex as the venue lends visibility to the campaign in one of India's most densely populated urban regions.

Chouhan was joined by Suvendu Adhikari, the senior West Bengal BJP leader, and other colleagues. The participation of state-level political figures alongside a Union minister signals an effort to give the plantation drive cross-institutional momentum in the state.

The general public remains the primary audience of the campaign, with Chouhan's post explicitly inviting every citizen to contribute to greening the country through individual daily action.

What's Next

Observers will watch whether the #OnePlantADay initiative translates into a structured, trackable afforestation programme with verifiable targets, or remains a voluntary awareness campaign. State-level progress reports on green-cover expansion in West Bengal and other states will indicate whether such symbolic drives are feeding into measurable outcomes under national climate missions. If the campaign gains institutional backing, it could complement existing schemes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.