Chandigarh, June 9 – The Haryana government has taken an important initiative called One Tree in the Name of Mother 2.0 with the aim of conducting a massive plantation drive in the state and enhancing environmental sustainability with strong public participation.
A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Mr. Anurag Rastogi reviewed the state action plan here today. In the meeting, a strategy was formulated to link this campaign with major national missions and ensure effective coordination at the district level.
During the meeting, Chief Secretary Mr. Anurag Rastogi emphasized that One Tree in the Name of Mother 2.0 will be implemented with a whole-of-government and whole-of-society perspective. He said that this campaign will be linked with major national schemes like MNREGA, Jan Shakti Abhiyan, Safai Bharat Mission, Smart City Mission and National Green Highways Mission. Along with this, the impact and reach of the scheme will also increase. He stressed the need for a thorough review of the plants planted last year to ensure their continued maintenance and development. He also directed the officers to submit a report in this regard.
This campaign to be run during the year 2025-26 will focus on large-scale plantation activities. Special focus will be given to school-based initiatives through the School Education Department's Eko Club for Mission Life. The Chief Secretary said that maximum youth and students should be involved in this campaign as inculcating environmental responsibility at a young age will have far-reaching social benefits.
Apart from schools, along with community organizations and volunteers, the Forest, Urban Local Bodies, Horticulture, Public Works Department and Haryana Urban Development Authority will be actively involved in this plantation campaign. These activities will be carried out on the banks of rivers, canals, Amrit Sarovar and other water bodies as per this year's Catch the Rain 2025 theme under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
Chief Secretary Mr. Rastogi directed all the Deputy Commissioners to constitute District Plantation Committees for effective ground implementation of the campaign. These committees will identify the places for planting, assess the availability of land and prepare the demand for plants as well as finalize the implementation plans. In the meeting, each department at the district level was asked to submit data on the land available for planting and work closely with the nurseries to meet the plant requirements.
The Forest Department has informed that 1.81 crore plants are available in 200 government nurseries of 22 districts for this year's plantation campaign. To disseminate this information, the department has released a book on Forest Nurseries on World Environment Day 2025. Details of nurseries and available stock are also available on the department’s website haryanaforest.gov.in.
The authority will be used for real-time monitoring of plantation activities in the state. The data of plantation done by schools will be captured through a microsite on the Eko Club for MissionLife portal. All other plantations issued by the Forest Department and other departments will be uploaded on the Merilife portal https;//merilife.nic.in.
The Chief Secretary has also directed the district administration to start a social media campaign to create awareness about the environment under the name of Ek Peer Maa 2.0. Students will be encouraged to plant saplings in and around their school, college and university campuses, thereby instilling a sense of ownership and pride in local green initiatives.
 Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Forest and Wildlife Department, Mr. Anand Mohan Sharan said that 1.87 crore saplings were planted in the state last year, out of which 52.21 lakh saplings were planted in urban areas and 134.44 lakh saplings were planted in rural areas. 51 government departments and lakhs of citizens participated in this campaign.