Enviro News Asia, New Delhi – Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan has unveiled a sweeping roadmap to transform environmental protection into a nationwide mass movement, addressing nearly 17,000 “Vriksh Mitra” (Tree Friends) gathered at Pusa Complex in New Delhi during the Environment Protection Resolve Programme and Vriksh Mitra Samvad.
Chouhan called on every Vriksh Mitra to plant at least one tree per year and recruit five new participants into the campaign, with public pledges shared on social media ahead of a planned national plantation drive on Hariyali Amavasya on August 12. He proposed forming Vriksh Mitra Pariwar committees from the national level down to village level, with formal registration and designated plantation sites in panchayats and urban local bodies, where government schemes would begin only with tree planting activities.
“Planting a tree is not the goal; making it grow should be the target,” Chouhan said, emphasizing that tree protection must accompany plantation, with community responsibility for care and monitoring at every designated site.
The Minister connected environmental action directly to the future of farmers and agriculture, warning that decreasing soil fertility from unbalanced chemical use and water scarcity pose direct threats to agricultural production and rural livelihoods alongside climate change. He also urged adoption of energy-saving practices aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mission LiFE, including LED lighting, efficient appliances, water conservation, and plastic-free living.
Padma Bhushan environmentalist Anil Joshi praised the initiative as a long-term inspiring movement rather than a one-time event, noting that IIT scientists are conducting a scientific study of Chouhan’s tree planting campaigns using remote sensing technology to measure measurable environmental improvements on the ground.
Social worker Dr. Anoop Hazela introduced the concept of “plant one tree, adopt one tree,” encouraging urban residents in flats who cannot plant on new land to adopt and care for a small plant on their daily routes. He described energy conservation, the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle model for water, and minimizing plastic and paper use as essential pillars for addressing climate change. (*)
