Capital to host grand ‘Van Mahotsav 2025’ with massive green drive, plant exhibition

New Delhi: In a significant step towards building a greener capital, the Delhi Government will launch Van Mahotsav 2025 on July 3 at Bharat Mandapam, featuring a month-long campaign of tree plantation and public participation in environmental conservation.

The mega event will be inaugurated by Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who announced a “first-of-its-kind exhibition” showcasing ornamental, medicinal, exotic plants and bio-friendly alternatives to plastic. “This will be the first Van Mahotsava where the ‘mann’ of Delhi will go with its ‘van’. There will be more than 50 stalls where Delhiites can buy plants, tools, and equipment of their choice,” Sirsa said.

At the heart of the campaign is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative, under which daily plantations will be carried out throughout July.

Citizens will be encouraged to plant trees in honour of their mothers, with personalised nameplates and storytelling formats to forge a deeper emotional bond with nature.

“We have pledged to plant more than 70 lakh trees across Delhi, and this Van Mahotsav marks a decisive step toward that promise, not just in numbers, but in nurturing a green conscience,”

Sirsa stated, adding that the drive will be accompanied by public exhibitions, eco-club performances, and awareness activities.

The Forest Department will coordinate with civic agencies including NDMC, DDA, MCD, and Delhi Police to ensure logistics, safety, and public engagement.

“This is not just a plantation drive, it’s a people’s festival of green resolve. Combating pollution requires collective climate consciousness,” the minister said, calling on Delhi residents to join the green movement.

Van Mahotsav 2025 is part of Delhi’s broader Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025, spearheaded by CM Rekha Gupta’s government, aiming to expand the capital’s green cover as a sustainable response to air quality challenges.