The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, 12 July 2026, announced a live broadcast of the Vriksharopan Mahayagya 2026, the state's mass tree-plantation observance conducted under the 35 crore sapling campaign 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' (One Tree in Mother's Name). The event marks the latest edition of Uttar Pradesh's annual monsoon afforestation drive, which blends environmental targets with cultural sentiment by asking citizens to dedicate planted saplings to their mothers.

Context

The CMO's post, shared as a pinned live update, announced the Vriksharopan Mahayagya 2026 — literally a 'great tree-planting ritual' — streaming in real time. The campaign's stated target of 35 crore (350 million) saplings positions it as one of the largest single-day plantation mobilisations announced by any Indian state government. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has led the state since 2017, has made mass plantation drives a signature annual event of his administration.

Policy Backdrop

The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign was first launched by the Uttar Pradesh government in 2021 as part of its monsoon plantation mission. It draws on both India's National Forest Policy and the Green India Mission, which set national benchmarks for expanding forest and tree cover. By framing tree-planting as a tribute to mothers, the state government has sought to drive citizen participation beyond the usual institutional actors such as the forest department and local bodies.

Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, has conducted successive large-scale plantation programmes since 2017, with each year's drive typically announced during the monsoon season when sapling survival rates are highest. The Vriksharopan Mahayagya format — drawing on the imagery of a sacred collective ritual — has been used to give the drives a community-participation character.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stakeholders in the campaign are the citizens of Uttar Pradesh and the state forest department, which coordinates logistics across the state's 75 districts. Schools, gram panchayats, urban local bodies, and voluntary organisations are typically mobilised to meet district-level targets. If the 35 crore sapling goal is met and survival rates are sustained, the drive could contribute meaningfully to the state's green-cover targets under national climate commitments.

The cultural framing of the campaign — dedicating a tree to one's mother — has historically helped generate social media amplification and ground-level participation, particularly in rural areas where the emotional resonance of the message is strong.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to official post-campaign reports on sapling survival rates and district-wise achievement against the 35 crore target. Independent assessments of survival rates from previous years' drives have at times differed from government figures, making mid-year and end-of-season reviews a key accountability measure. The state government is expected to release progress data as the monsoon season advances through July and August 2026.