Uttarakhand sets record with over 8.13 lakh saplings planted on Harela festival

Uttarakhand created a new record on Wednesday by planting over 8.13 lakh saplings across the state on the occasion of the Harela festival, with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami launching the campaign by planting a Rudraksh sapling.

According to a government release, the plantation drive was aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, which Chief Minister Dhami expanded into a broader initiative with the slogan "Celebrate the festival of Harela, repay the debt of Mother Earth."

Over 8,13,000 saplings were planted across all 13 districts of the state, making it the largest such plantation effort in Uttarakhand during a single festival, the release said.

Plantation programmes were held at thousands of locations — including villages, towns, cities, schools, Anganwadi centres — with active participation from the local administration, forest department, NGOs, women’s groups, and youth.

The state had initially set a target of planting five lakh saplings for Harela this year. In comparison, around two lakh saplings were planted on Harela in 2016.

Speaking at a plantation programme at the Gorkha Military Inter College campus here, Dhami said Harela is not just a festival but an emotion rooted in Uttarakhand’s culture, nature and environmental consciousness. It reminds citizens of their duty toward protecting nature, he added.

"This is not just a figure of saplings planted, but a living example of collective effort, reflecting our commitment to environmental protection," he said.

He emphasised that planting trees is only the beginning. "We must nurture the saplings like our own children to ensure they grow into lush green trees," Dhami said.

He added that 50 per cent of the saplings planted in each forest division this year will be fruit-bearing trees.

Highlighting environmental challenges like climate change, uncontrolled development, and resource exploitation, Dhami said a collective effort is required to restore ecological balance.

He also informed that the Spring and River Rejuvenation Authority (SARA) has helped conserve over 6,500 water sources and collect 3.12 million cubic metres of rainwater in the state.

The state has also imposed a complete ban on single-use plastic and made dustbins mandatory in vehicles, he said.

The chief minister called upon people to plant saplings on special occasions in their lives and nurture them, turning environmental protection into a mass movement.

State Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal, who was also present at the event, said the survival rate of saplings planted during Harela over the past three years has been over 80 per cent.