On 7 July 2026 Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched Delhi’s “Mission 70 Lakh Plantation Drive” in the Central Ridge to plant 70 lakh saplings across the national capital.
Drive Details
- Target: 70 lakh saplings (7 million) across Delhi under the Mission 70 Lakh Plantation Drive.
- Delhi Ridge pledge: Over 1 crore native plants to be planted across the Ridge area over the next four years.
- Campaign: Conducted under “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”, a citizen-centric plantation initiative.
Species & Ecological Focus
- Native species: Peepal, Neem, Jamun, Imli, Champa, Ashoka, Gulmohar, Amaltas — selected for local adaptability and native habitat restoration.
- Plant types: Mix of avenue trees, park trees and shrubs to restore multi-layered urban green cover.
NDMC Role & Operational Inputs
- NDMC target: ~600 trees and 50,000 shrubs across 34 NDMC locations.
- Preparations: Over 50,000 planting pits prepared by NDMC before launch.
- NDMC green assets: Maintains ~1,450 acres of green spaces, including six major parks and ~15,000 avenue trees; these assets account for about 55% of Delhi’s recorded green cover within NDMC jurisdiction.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- NDMC: Central civic body responsible for New Delhi area green-space management and urban services.
- Urban plantation metrics: Targets reported as number of saplings and prepared pits; sapling count is the standard metric in Indian urban forestry drives.
- Citizen participation: Registration platforms used to mobilise RWAs, schools and local groups for plantation drives.