Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Friday, 19 June 2026, planted a sapling at Chandigarh Railway Station in his mother's name under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (One Tree in Mother's Name) campaign, marking the occasion of 12 years of the Modi government.

Context

Posting on X in Hindi, Dr. Singh wrote: '#ModiSarkar के 12 वर्षों की उपलब्धियों के अवसर पर' — 'On the occasion of 12 years of achievements of the Modi government' — he described the act of planting a tree at Chandigarh Railway Station in his mother's name as a privilege. He added: 'This is not merely a tree-plantation; it is a symbol of our responsibility towards nature and our respect for our mothers.'

The minister called on citizens to join what he termed a jan-andolan — a people's movement — and to commit to environmental conservation. The post was accompanied by three images from the event at the railway station.

Policy Backdrop

The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage every citizen to plant a tree in their mother's honour, weaving together ecological responsibility with a cultural tribute to motherhood. The initiative is positioned as a mass-participation movement rather than a top-down government scheme.

India's afforestation agenda has deepened since the country's commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement, with successive budgets and national action plans raising targets for additional forest and tree cover. These efforts feed into India's broader ambition of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, with incremental increases in green cover serving as a measurable near-term lever.

Stakeholders and Impact

By staging the plantation at Chandigarh Railway Station — a busy public transport hub serving the Union Territory — the event reached a large cross-section of daily commuters and railway passengers, amplifying the campaign's visibility beyond government circles. The choice of a railway station as the venue reflects a broader government pattern of embedding symbolic environmental events within high-footfall public infrastructure.

Citizen volunteers and ordinary commuters are the primary intended participants, with the campaign's design relying on personal, emotional motivation — the bond between a child and a mother — to drive mass uptake of tree-planting pledges.

What's Next

The #12YearsofSeva milestone is likely to see similar plantation events replicated at railway stations and other public venues across the country as part of coordinated outreach tied to the government's anniversary messaging. Observers will watch whether fresh afforestation targets or a formal expansion of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign are announced in the coming weeks, particularly around upcoming environmental observances. The scale of citizen participation recorded under the campaign will serve as a key indicator of its reach as a genuine people's movement.