Van Mahotsav gains momentum

New Delhi: Delhi’s Van Mahotsav 2025 continued to gain momentum as notable personalities from across sectors came together to plant trees in honour of their mothers under the ongoing campaign ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’. The initiative, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationwide call, aims to create a mass movement for environmental conservation.

Among the prominent figures who participated in the event were environmentalists Siddhant Das and Dr. J.R. Bhatt, former forest officers Chandra Prakash Goyal and Rajiv Singh, authors Sushmita Das and Anuradha Goyal, civic leaders, and media personalities like Navika Kumar,

Kiran Chopra, and Vineet Kanwar. Each dedicated their sapling to their mother, giving the campaign a deeply emotional and personal resonance.

Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, leading the plantation drive, said, “Every sapling planted today is not just greenery added to our city, it is a shield of hope for future generations.” He added, “When a mother’s name is attached, every tree becomes a blessing. Their gesture sends a powerful message, just as mothers nurture life, trees nurture the planet.”

He urged citizens to join the movement, “Let us all plant a tree in our mother’s name and pledge to protect our environment. Every sapling is a

promise of clean air, green spaces, and a better tomorrow.”

Delhi recorded a satisfactory AQI of 86 on the day, with hotspots like Okhla (54), Punjabi Bagh (63), and Bawana (70) showing notable improvements. In the last 24 hours, authorities cleaned 4,742 km of roads, removed 10,905 MT of garbage, issued 9,226 pollution challans, and processed 16,080 MT of legacy waste through bio-mining.

Van Mahotsav 2025, led in Delhi by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, aims to plant 70 lakh trees this year and is fast becoming a historic Jan Andolan for a greener capital.