July 12, 2026 – Union Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted the rapid growth of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, calling it a mass movement essential for Earth’s habitability.
Key Developments
- Delhi Ridge to receive 1 crore saplings with legal protection, announced by Shah.
- Central Paramilitary Forces completed planting 7 crore trees over seven years.
- Recent addition of 43 lakh trees in the Delhi Ridge area.
- Inauguration of 61 new oxygen parks in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, raising the total to 73.
- Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) inaugurated 101 oxygen parks in a single day.
- Shah pledged to raise green cover in Gandhinagar by 20% by 2029, building on an existing 11.23% increase.
- Push for universal rooftop solar panels across homes, flats and eateries.
Important Facts
The newly planted trees are species such as banyan and peepal, chosen for their longevity (≥100 years) and ability to support avian biodiversity. Through the AMC’s online drive, 1,37,812 volunteers registered to plant five saplings each, and 28,544 senior citizens pledged two trees each.
By the end of the campaign, a total of 1,25,93,513 trees are expected to be rooted in the Gandhinagar constituency.
Exam Relevance
This news touches on several UPSC themes:
- Environmental governance: large‑scale afforestation, urban greening, and climate‑change mitigation.
- Role of ministries and agencies: coordination between the Ministry of Home Affairs, Central Paramilitary Forces, and municipal bodies.
- Policy implementation: tracking of targets (20% green cover by 2029) and use of public participation models.
- Energy‑environment nexus: promotion of rooftop solar panels alongside tree planting.
Way Forward
For sustained impact, the government should:
- Integrate tree‑planting with rooftop solar projects to create cooler micro‑climates.
- Establish a monitoring mechanism using satellite imagery to verify survival rates of saplings.
- Encourage community ownership through incentives for households and societies that maintain green spaces.
- Link urban greening with air‑quality standards, especially for high‑pollution zones like the Delhi Ridge.
Active citizen participation, backed by clear policy targets, will be crucial to meet the 20% green‑cover goal and to combat rising temperatures.