Gorakhpur: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will launch Uttar Pradesh’s Plantation Mahayagya-2026 from Gorakhpur on Sunday, kicking off the state’s ambitious drive to plant a record 35 crore saplings in a single day under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign.The mass plantation initiative, one of the largest in the country, aims to boost green cover while encouraging people to plant and nurture a tree in their mother’s name.Officials said the chief minister will inaugurate the campaign at 7.45 am by planting a sacred Triveni cluster comprising neem, peepal and banyan saplings near the Gorakhpur Link Expressway. He will later plant a Moulshree sapling along the Tal Ring Road near RKBK and address a public gathering, urging people to actively participate in the campaign and take responsibility for protecting the planted saplings.The chief minister has appealed to citizens to plant at least one tree in their mother’s name in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for environmental conservation through the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative.Meanwhile, the customary Sunday Janata Darshan at the Gorakhnath Temple has been cancelled due to the plantation programme. The temple administration said the public grievance hearing will not be held on July 12 as the chief minister will be engaged in launching the statewide campaign from Gorakhpur.Forest and environment minister Arun Kumar Saxena is also expected to attend the event.The state govt has assigned Gorakhpur a target of planting 55.28 lakh saplings, with 27 departments participating in the drive. The forest department has been given the largest target of 19.37 lakh saplings, followed by the rural development department with 18.61 lakh and the agriculture department with 5.76 lakh.Divisional forest officer Shubham Singh said all preparations, including the availability of quality saplings, pit digging, soil preparation and development of plantation sites, have been completed to ensure smooth execution of the drive and improve the survival rate of the saplings.
