PM Modi Launches ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ on World Environment Day 2025.
National
On June 5, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the second phase of the nationwide tree plantation campaign ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ to mark World Environment Day. The campaign was officially inaugurated at Mahavir Jayanti Park in New Delhi where PM Modi planted a sapling and appealed to citizens to plant trees in honour of their mothers, promoting an emotional and environmental connection with nature.
- The campaign’s second phase aims to plant 10 crore trees across India between June 5 and September 30, 2025, with active participation from individuals, schools, panchayats, and urban local bodies.
- This expansion builds upon the success of the original initiative launched in 2024, which had already achieved significant plantation goals and garnered massive public engagement.
- During the launch event, PM Modi also flagged off 200 electric buses in Delhi, reinforcing the government's commitment to environmental sustainability and green public transportation. He highlighted that the past decade had seen a continuous increase in India’s forest cover and that initiatives like this would further strengthen the country's ecological balance and climate resilience.
Main Point :- (i) States such as Uttar Pradesh have taken the lead in contributing to the campaign, announcing a record attempt to plant 37 crore saplings in a single day. Under the initiative, saplings will be planted using local labour under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), while also exploring carbon credit incentives for participating farmers and communities, making it both an environmental and socio-economic movement.
(ii) To ensure long-term impact, the campaign includes mechanisms like geo-tagging of planted saplings, community participation for nurturing trees, and awareness drives by institutions like ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police).
(iii) The saplings selected include fruit-bearing, shade-providing, and climate-resilient species that support biodiversity, public health, and the rejuvenation of water bodies, thereby making this campaign a multi-dimensional contribution toward India’s climate goals and its mission to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2070.
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