Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh will hold a statewide plantation drive on Friday under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, following a call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of World Environment Day.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will launch the programme from the Kukrail forest area in Lucknow, where more than 200 saplings will be planted.The state govt has set a target of planting five crore saplings in a single day. Officials said targets have been assigned to all departments and divisions. The one-day drive forms part of Uttar Pradesh’s annual plantation target of 35 crore saplings for 2026.Minister of state for environment, forest and climate change (independent charge) AK Saxena said plantation will be carried out in every block and district with public participation and in the presence of public representatives.The campaign will run through the day across the state’s 17 municipal corporations, 825 development blocks, 762 urban local bodies and all gram panchayats. The forest department is coordinating the effort with support from the rural development, panchayati raj, agriculture, horticulture and urban development departments, among others.Plantation sites will include areas around Amrit Sarovars, ponds, roads, expressways, rivers and canals. Schools, colleges, self-help groups and social organisations are also expected to participate.Alongside the plantation drive, the forest department will organise a state-level seminar on climate change challenges and solutions in Uttar Pradesh. The seminar will include three technical sessions focusing on wetland management and conservation, the role of youth in environmental conservation and mitigating climate impacts, and discussions on achievements and strategies under the UP Clean Air Management Project (UPCAMP).This year’s World Environment Day theme is ‘Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future’.
