The Union Environment Ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Monday that over 1.14 billion saplings have been planted across the country since March of this year under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ (A Tree in the Name of Mother) campaign.
📊 Plantation Statistics and Responsibility
Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh, provided the following statistics in a written reply:
- Total Planted: $1,139,906,411$ trees planted during the current financial year (April 1, 2025, up to November 28, 2025).
- Responsibility: The Minister clarified that the protection and management of forest and tree resources are primarily the responsibility of the concerned state government/union territory administration.
- Legal Framework: The prevention of illegal tree cutting and forest protection is governed by a comprehensive set of Central laws, including the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980, and the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
The Ministry, however, did not provide details on the budget utilized for the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign.
📝 Key Schemes and Initiatives
The campaign, launched by the Prime Minister on World Environment Day (June 5, 2024), encourages citizens to plant a tree as a mark of respect for their own mother and Mother Earth. The Ministry supports afforestation efforts through:
- National Mission for a Green India (GIM): Aims to protect, restore, and enhance India’s forest and tree cover to respond to climate change.
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA): Utilizes funds collected from user agencies that divert forest land for non-forest purposes (like industry or mining) to conduct compensatory afforestation and other forest-related activities.
🏜️ Focus on Arid Regions
Responding to an MP’s queries regarding damage to agriculture and tree felling by solar energy companies in Rajasthan, the Ministry highlighted the role of the Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI) in Jodhpur.
- AFRI’s mandate is to undertake and promote forestry research and extension with a special focus on arid and semi-arid regions to ensure the scientific and sustainable management of forests.
Note on Rajasthan Solar Projects: While the Ministry did not provide the specific number of trees cut by solar companies, public reports indicate widespread concern and protests in Rajasthan (particularly from the Bishnoi community) regarding the illegal felling and uprooting of Khejri trees (the state tree), which are vital to the desert ecosystem, to make way for large-scale solar power plants.