Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, 5 June 2026 — World Environment Day — inaugurated the Koodligi Organic Horticulture Plantation Scheme in Karnataka, extending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's national #EkPedMaaKeNaam campaign to the state's dryland belt.

Context

Posting in Kannada, Sitharaman announced the launch of the scheme, describing its first phase as covering 160 acres with a target of planting 50,000 trees. The species selected are suited to arid and semi-arid conditions: tamarind (hunase), Indian gooseberry (nellikai), drumstick (nugge), and custard apple (sitaphala). The choice of drought-resistant horticulture species signals a dual focus on ecological restoration and livelihood support for dryland farming communities.

Policy Backdrop

The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam ('One Tree in Mother's Name') campaign was launched by Prime Minister Modi on World Environment Day 2024, calling on citizens across India to plant trees as a tribute to their mothers. The initiative has since been adopted by central ministers and state governments as a vehicle for larger afforestation drives. The Koodligi scheme is one such state-level expression of the campaign, embedding it within a structured, phased plantation programme rather than a symbolic one-off gesture.

Koodligi (also spelled Kudligi) is a taluk in Ballari district, Karnataka — a region characterised by low annual rainfall and historically dependent on dryland agriculture. Central and state governments have long promoted horticulture in such zones as a means of improving both green cover and farmer incomes, and this scheme continues that lineage.

Stakeholders and Impact

The immediate beneficiaries are dryland farming communities in and around Koodligi, who stand to gain from improved soil health, shade cover, and eventual produce from fruit-bearing trees such as tamarind and Indian gooseberry. Rural communities across the semi-arid belt of northern Karnataka are the broader target group. The organic horticulture framing also suggests an intent to align with chemical-free farming practices, which could open market linkages for small and marginal farmers in the region.

The 160-acre first phase and its 50,000-tree target represent a concrete, measurable commitment — a departure from campaign-style plantation drives that have historically struggled with survival-rate accountability.

What's Next

A second phase has been proposed for 2027, with an additional 50,000 trees planned, bringing the scheme's cumulative target to 1 lakh trees. Progress on species survival rates, integration with Karnataka's horticulture department programmes, and the rollout of the 2027 phase will be the key metrics to watch. The scheme's success could serve as a replicable model for other semi-arid constituencies where BJP leaders seek to demonstrate environmental governance credentials ahead of future electoral cycles.