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Lucknow. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has set an ambitious target of planting 35 crore saplings in a single day this year. He said that in the last years, the state has achieved great success in tree plantation with public participation and now it will be taken forward as a mass movement.

Reviewing the preparations for the mega plantation drive-2026 on Sunday, the Chief Minister called for planting at least 5 drumstick saplings in every Anganwadi center and one sapling by every student in schools and colleges under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign. Besides, instructions were given to give priority to tree plantation on both sides of the Ganga Expressway. He said that it should not be made just a program but a continuous public campaign.

Tree Plantation Achievements and Green Cover Growth in UP

It was told in the meeting that there has been continuous progress in the field of tree plantation in Uttar Pradesh. While 51.48 crore saplings were planted between 2009 and 2016, this number increased to 242.13 crore between 2017 and 2025. During the same period, a historic increase of 3 lakh 38 thousand acres has been recorded in the forest and tree cover of the state and the green cover has reached approximately 9.96 percent. The increase in carbon stock has also been recorded at 2.46 per cent, higher than the national average of 1.13 per cent. The Chief Minister set a target to achieve 15 percent green cover by 2030 and 20 percent by 2047.

Scientific and Planned Tree Plantation Campaign 2026

The Chief Minister directed that the tree plantation campaign of the year 2026 should be completely scientific, planned and result based. Describing micro planning as the foundation of the campaign, he emphasized on effective implementation of the schemes prepared at rural and urban levels.

Availability of nurseries and plants: Preparation of 50 crore plants

Keeping in mind the quality and availability of plants, all departments were instructed to provide free and high quality plants from the nurseries of the Forest Department. There are 1935 departmental nurseries operating in the state and availability of more than 50 crore plants is being ensured. For this, 34 new nurseries have also been established. Apart from this, horticulture, silk and private sector nurseries have also been linked to this campaign.

Emphasis on digital monitoring and plant protection

The Chief Minister said that along with tree plantation, it is most important to ensure the safety and survival of the plants. For this, instructions have been given to use modern technology. Plantations are being monitored through 'Haritima' app, GIS mapping, QR code tracking, Plantation Monitoring System (PMS) and Nursery Management System (NMS). In the survey of year 2025, the survival rate of the plants planted was recorded at 80 percent.

Forest and special plantation campaign in the name of martyrs

The Chief Minister stressed on developing forests and gardens in the name of martyrs and freedom fighters. Instructions were also given for large scale plantation along rivers and highways. This year, special attention will be given to planting saplings of Ramayana period in Ayodhya.

Public participation and time bound action plan

The Chief Minister directed all the departments to prepare their detailed action plan by May 30 and complete the tree plantation campaign as per the stipulated time. He said that for the success of this campaign, active participation of public representatives, voluntary organizations, educational institutions and common citizens is necessary.

Ramsar Site: Shekha Lake Bird Sanctuary gets honour.

During the meeting, the Forest and Environment Department handed over the certificate of declaration of Shekha Lake Bird Sanctuary as a Ramsar site to the Chief Minister. There are now a total of 12 Ramsar sites in the state, which are spread over an area of ​​38,992.25 hectares. Shekha Lake is the smallest Ramsar site of the state with an area of ​​40.309 hectares, which was declared a bird sanctuary in 2016.