Vriksh Mitra Abhiyan: Tree Plantation as a People’s Movement – Features, Mission LiFE Link and Facts

Context

• The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister launched a nationwide initiative to transform the Vriksh Mitra Abhiyan into a mass movement for environmental conservation through public participation.
• The campaign asks families, panchayats and urban local bodies – not only forest departments – to own tree planting and its long-term care.

What the Abhiyan Is

• A people-led movement: every citizen is a “Vriksh Mitra” (friend of trees) who plants, protects and nurtures trees.
• Combines tree planting with sustainable living – water saving, soil conservation, waste segregation and plastic-free habits.

Objectives

• Transform tree plantation into a nationwide social movement.
• Increase public participation in environmental conservation.
• Promote sustainable agriculture, water conservation and climate resilience.
• Support the objectives of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment).

Key Features

• A tree on every auspicious occasion: families plant a tree on birthdays, wedding anniversaries, the birth of children and in memory of parents, making planting a social tradition.
• “One Tree, Five Companions” pledge: every Vriksh Mitra plants at least one tree a year and brings five more people into the campaign.
• Vriksh Mitra Pariwar: a structured network from national to state, district, block and village levels to coordinate plantation and monitoring.
• Hariyali Amavasya tree festival: a nationwide plantation drive on Hariyali Amavasya (12 August), celebrated as a national festival of tree planting.
• Designated plantation sites: panchayats and urban local bodies identify sites and ensure long-term protection and maintenance.
• Convergence with schemes: plantation integrated with PM Gram Sadak Yojana (roadside avenues), PM Awas Yojana, Lakhpati Didi and other agriculture and rural development programmes.
• Sustainable agriculture: balanced use of water and chemicals, soil conservation and eco-friendly farming.
• Mission LiFE integration: energy conservation, water saving, waste segregation and plastic-free living.

Why It Matters

• India’s forest and tree cover is about 25 per cent of its area against the 33 per cent target of the National Forest Policy, 1988; survival of planted saplings, not planting numbers, is the real challenge, which is why the campaign stresses nurturing and designated sites.
• Trees on farms (agroforestry) add income, fodder and shade and count towards India’s Paris commitment of an additional 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO2 sink by 2030.

FAQs

Who runs Vriksh Mitra Abhiyan?

It is promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare with panchayats, urban local bodies and citizens as the implementers.

How is it different from Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam?

Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (2024) is a plantation drive dedicated to mothers; Vriksh Mitra Abhiyan builds a permanent network and annual pledge around planting and nurturing trees.

Why is it asked in exams?

Environment campaigns and their taglines – Mission LiFE, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, Vriksh Mitra – are common one-liners in banking and state exams.