Yogi Adityanath Launches Mega Drive to Plant 35 Crore Trees

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, launched the Maha Vriksharopan 2026 campaign in Gorakhpur on July 12. The initiative seeks to plant 35 crore saplings across the state in a single day under the theme Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (One Tree in the Name of Mother), a national campaign originally started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat climate change and increase green cover.

During the launch, the Chief Minister established the Holy Triveni Plantation and Development Garden and distributed certificates to farmers through the Carbon Credit Scheme to incentivize sustainable agriculture. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak participated by planting a tree at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University, stating that Uttar Pradesh ranks first nationally in increasing forest cover since 2017.

In separate remarks made Saturday in Kushinagar, Adityanath claimed that expanding investment and employment in districts like Gorakhpur and Kushinagar have reduced the need for youth migration. He criticized the previous Samajwadi Party administration, alleging that corruption and a lack of development policy prior to 2017 had caused investment to stall.