Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav visited Pethapur Talab in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Friday, June 19, 2026, where he planted a sapling under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign and highlighted the pond's restoration carried out under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Context

Posting on X in Hindi, Minister Yadav wrote: 'आज गांधीनगर में पेथापुर तालाब का भ्रमण किया' ('Today I visited Pethapur Talab in Gandhinagar'). He noted that a sapling was planted near the pond as part of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam ('One Tree in Mother's Name') campaign and credited the pond's revival to the guidance of Amit Shah. The minister described the initiative as having given 'new life to the natural heritage of the region.'

Pethapur Talab is a historic water body in Gandhinagar, Gujarat's capital, and has been cited as an example of the restoration of traditional ponds under central and state coordination. Amit Shah has a long-standing political base in Gujarat and has been associated with development and heritage conservation projects in the state.

Policy Backdrop

The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign was formally launched by the central government in 2024, encouraging citizens and officials alike to dedicate tree plantations to their mothers as part of a broader national afforestation push. The campaign has since been adopted at multiple ministerial visits and public events across India.

The restoration of traditional water bodies has also been a central theme of the Amrit Sarovar scheme, launched in 2022, which targets the rejuvenation of ponds and lakes across Indian states, including Gujarat. Central government policy has repeatedly linked such water-body revivals with afforestation drives, framing them as protection of both natural and cultural heritage.

Stakeholders and Impact

Local residents and water conservation groups in the Gandhinagar district stand to benefit directly from the restoration of Pethapur Talab, which serves as a source of ecological balance and a community resource. The renewed water body is expected to support local biodiversity and improve groundwater recharge in the surrounding area.

The visit and plantation drive also reinforce the BJP's messaging on state-centre coordination in environmental governance, particularly in Gujarat, where such projects have frequently been held up as models of collaborative restoration. The presence of a senior Union minister adds political weight to what might otherwise be a local conservation effort.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the broader rollout of Amrit Sarovar-linked restorations across Gujarat and other states, as well as any references to the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign's progress in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. The monsoon season traditionally accelerates plantation drives, and ministerial field visits of this kind often precede larger public mobilisation efforts tied to the campaign.