Uttar Pradesh : Yogi Adityanath Outlines Massive Monsoon Masterplan To Plant 35 Crore Saplings Across The State
Lucknow: In an ambitious bid to significantly scale up the state's green cover and combat climate change, the state administration has finalized extensive preparations for a massive, high-impact environmental campaign ahead of the upcoming monsoon season. The state government has set a monumental target of planting 35 crore (350 million) saplings across all 75 districts, transforming the annual plantation drive into a synchronized public movement.
Top administrative officials confirmed that micro-level planning has already been rolled out to ensure the seamless execution of this multi-departmental campaign. The state environment, forest, and climate change departments have been assigned as the nodal agencies to monitor the logistics, procurement, and geo-tagging of the saplings to guarantee high survival rates.
Departmental Targets And Digital Micro-Planning Activated
To achieve this historic 35-crore target, the state administration has divided the responsibilities among 26 different government departments. The Forest Department will spearhead the initiative by leading the single largest chunk of the drive, while key wings such as Rural Development, Agriculture, Education, and Panchayati Raj have been allocated dedicated sub-targets.
District Magistrates (DMs) have been directed to identify specific plantation sites along riverbanks, highways, expressways, defense lands, and educational complexes. Furthermore, to eliminate irregularities and monitor growth trajectory, the entire process—ranging from digging pits to the final placement of the plant—will be recorded through an integrated digital portal with mandatory geo-tagging.
Focusing On Indigenous Varieties And High Survival Rates
Moving away from generic commercial timber, the core strategy of this monsoon season heavily prioritizes traditional, indigenous, and shade-giving tree varieties. The nurseries managed by the state are actively stocking up on high-survival species such as Neem, Peepal, Banyan (Vatavriksha), Pakar, Jamun, Arjuna, and Mango.
Special emphasis is being placed on 'Panchavati' and 'Amrit Van' layouts across rural panchayats, which hold deeply rooted cultural and medicinal significance for local communities. The government has directed field officers to not only focus on the numbers but also lay down concrete plans for protecting the saplings from stray cattle through community fencing and local guards.
Transforming Afforestation Into A Vibrant People's Movement
The administration is designing this mega-plantation drive around the concept of public participation (Jan Bhagidari). Government directives point toward mobilizing school students, National Cadet Corps (NCC) volunteers, youth groups, self-help groups (SHGs), and non-governmental organizations to turn the drive into a celebrated event on the designated launch days.
Special incentive schemes and awards are expected to be announced for village panchayats and urban wards that demonstrate the highest survival rates of their plantation clusters a year after the drive, introducing a healthy spirit of environmental competition across the state.
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