What happened
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare announced an environment protection campaign at Pusa Complex, New Delhi, with nearly 17,000 'Vriksh Mitra' connected across the country. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the programme should turn tree plantation into a mass movement through the Environment Protection Resolve Programme and Vriksh Mitra Samvad.
The Minister proposed a nationwide plantation drive on Hariyali Amavasya on 12 August as a Tree Festival. He also urged every family to plant a tree on birthdays, wedding anniversaries, children’s birth occasions, and in memory of parents, and asked each 'Vriksh Mitra' to plant at least one tree every year and connect at least five new people to the campaign.
Core design of the campaign
The proposal includes committees of the Vriksh Mitra Pariwar at national, state, district, block, and village levels, along with registration of the structure for planning, monitoring, and coordination. The release also calls for fixed plantation sites in panchayats and urban local bodies, with plantation linked to government schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Lakhpati Didi Yojana, and other agriculture and rural development programmes.
Additional mobilisation tools include plantation and nature worship on Govardhan Puja, World Environment Day, and Hariyali Amavasya; tree-planting messages in wedding invitation cards; involvement of saints, social leaders, and social media influencers; and a separate logo and digital portal.
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