Agartala (Tripura) [India], September 17 : The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, has launched a Nationwide Plantation Drive during Seva Parv from September 17 to October 2, aiming to inspire citizens to plant trees and create a participative greening movement across the country.
The drive was formally inaugurated in Tripura on Wednesday at the Forest Headquarters under the JICA Project in Gandhigram, coinciding with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The campaign will continue till Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2.
In Tripura, the Forest Department has set a target of planting 50,000 seedlings across all eight districts during this period. Special plantation programmes will be organised on September 25 at the district level, with the presence of Ministers, MLAs, Zilla Sabhadipatis, and other public representatives.
Plantations will be carried out in Nagar Vans, eco-parks, public spaces and community areas with the participation of schools, eco-clubs, SHGs and citizen volunteers.
Today's inaugural programme witnessed the presence of the Speaker, MLAs, and Ministers, along with senior officials of the Forest Department. The gathering finalised responsibilities for each district to ensure the success of the campaign.
Earlier in June 2025, Tripura achieved a remarkable plantation of over 10 lakh saplings under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 campaign, which emphasised mass participation through schools, government agencies, CAPFs, Tripura Police, and community organisations. To date, 18.93 lakh seedlings have been planted under this campaign in the state.
Between 2019 and 2024, the Forest Department undertook afforestation on over 40,788 hectares, created 2,392 km of linear plantations, and constructed 1,725 check dams. In 2024-25 alone, 10,131 hectares were afforested, including 1,360 hectares with commercially important bamboo, along with 348.92 km of roadside and riverbank plantations. These efforts have contributed to soil and water conservation, flood control, and livelihood generation through forest-based resources.
Forest Minister of the Government of Tripura, Animesh Debbarma, said, "The Nationwide Plantation Drive is going on, as you may have heard, and today the program was formally inaugurated. We have begun this initiative at the Forest Headquarters under the JICA Project in Gandhigram. Today, being the Prime Minister's birthday, this campaign has started, and it will conclude on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. We have been given a target of planting 50,000 trees across Tripura. Targets have been set for all eight districts, and we are confident that we will plant more than 50,000 saplings."