Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan took a major resolve to turn environment protection into a mass movement among nearly 17,000 ‘Vriksh Mitra’ connected from across the country during the ‘Environment Protection Resolve Programme and Vriksh Mitra Samvad’ organised at Pusa Complex in New Delhi. Padma Bhushan environmentalist Shri Anil Joshi, renowned doctor and social worker Dr. Anoop Hazela, Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research Dr. M.L. Jat and hundreds of ‘Vriksh Mitra’ from various states of the country participated in person while thousands of companions joined through virtual medium. All together gave a collective message of saving the earth by connecting trees, water, soil, energy conservation and plastic-free living with public participation.

Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan presented a clear and clean roadmap to give environment protection the form of a concrete mass movement based on suggestions and dialogue received from ‘Vriksh Mitra’. He decided that every family will plant a tree on occasions like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, birth of children, and pious memories of parents and turn these into ‘Tree Festivals’, so that slowly this tradition becomes a habit in every household. Every ‘Vriksh Mitra’ will plant at least one tree in a year and take a resolve to connect at least five new people with this campaign, whose public announcement will be made through their post on social media so that a strong network can be prepared by Hariyali Amavasya on 12 August. Shri Chouhan proposed forming committees of ‘Vriksh Mitra Pariwar’ at national, state, district, block and village levels to run the entire campaign in an organised framework, getting this structure formally registered and identifying fixed sites for plantation in panchayats and urban local bodies, where every auspicious work and government schemes – like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Lakhpati Didi Yojana, programmes of Agriculture and Rural Development Departments – will start only by planting trees. Along with this, collective plantation and nature worship on Govardhan Puja, World Environment Day and Hariyali Amavasya, appeal to plant trees in wedding invitation cards and religious-social events, public awareness through saints, social leaders and social media influencers, separate logo and digital portal of ‘Vriksh Mitra’ Family and creating such a social environment in which not planting a tree becomes a matter of shame for people and planting a tree becomes a symbol of progress and prestige, were also resolved.

Resolve to save the Earth with mass movement by ‘Vriksh Mitra’

Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan started his address by elaborating on the seriousness of the environment crisis. He clearly said that this is not only a question of environment, but a crisis of human existence – rising sea levels, increasing heat, polluted air, bad water and rapidly disappearing biodiversity are standing as direct threats to the life of coming generations. Referring to events happening across the world and scientific facts, he said that if concrete steps are not taken now, the picture of 2050 and beyond can be very worrying.

Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in an emotional tone that everyone lives for themselves, true life is the one that gives life to others and planting a tree is the biggest medium of giving life. He said that a tree is not only a green sight, but oxygen for our breaths, a shield to balance the earth’s temperature, home for birds, insects and countless creatures and a security cover for coming generations. He also shared that when he plants a tree and sees it growing, it feels as if he is embracing the earth – this feeling is the soul of the ‘Vriksh Mitra Abhiyaan’.

Resolve of planting one tree every year, ‘Vriksh Mitra’ will connect five new companions

Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, without limiting the entire programme to just speeches, clearly said that from here today we have to decide what we will do. Taking suggestions from many ‘Vriksh Mitra’, he presented a very simple and straightforward resolve – planting at least one tree in a year and connecting at least five new people with the tree planting campaign. He suggested that any person must plant a tree on occasions like his birthday, wedding anniversary, children’s birthday or pious memory of parents, these personal steps will become collective strength in the coming times. All ‘Vriksh Mitra’ present in the hall along with him took a resolve regarding this. Shri Chouhan said that this is the energy that will slowly spread across the country and become a mass movement. He also motivated the companions who joined virtually to be part of this resolve and gave a clear message that if every citizen plants one tree in a year and inspires five people, then in the coming few years the picture of Green India can change a lot.

‘Vriksh Mitra Pariwar’ will have national structure, national level campaign

Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh announced that tree planting efforts will not be left scattered and as separate initiatives, but an organised network will be created in the name of ‘Vriksh Mitra Pariwar’. He said that this will not be an organisation but a family – brothers-sisters, sons-daughters, maternal uncles-nephews-nieces who will be connected with a common feeling to plant and save trees. He proposed forming a national unit of ‘Vriksh Mitra Pariwar’, then forming its units at every state, every district, every block and further at village level, so that planning, monitoring and coordination becomes easy. He said that when the structure gets connected from top to bottom, then targets of tree planting can be fixed in every area, responsibility of their care can be fixed and it can be ensured that tree planting is not just a one-time photo-event but becomes a continuous campaign.

Massive nationwide plantation on Hariyali Amavasya

Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, referring to the importance of trees and water in Indian culture, specially reminded of ‘Hariyali Amavasya’. He said that our tradition has given trees, ponds and water bodies more importance than sons – statements like “one tree equals ten sons” are proof of our thinking. On this cultural basis, he proposed that on Hariyali Amavasya falling on August 12 this year, the first big national programme of ‘Vriksh Mitra Pariwar’ will be held. Union Minister Shri Chouhan said that on this day all ‘Vriksh Mitra’ connected across the country will definitely plant one tree each in their respective areas and slowly this day will be known as ‘Tree Festival’ across the country. He said that if we connect our cultural festivals with the environment – like tree planting on Hariyali Amavasya, distributing saplings on World Environment Day, planting trees on Independence Day and Republic Day – then in the coming few years crores of new trees will stand on the earth and this will strengthen both our culture and environment.

Guarantee of Protection Along with Tree Planting in Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies

Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan laid more stress on protection of trees than planting them. He clearly said that today the biggest crisis is that somewhere trees are planted, photos are also clicked, but no one goes back to see whether the tree is alive or not, whether it is getting water or not, whether it has been saved from animals or not. He said that this tendency has to change – planting a tree is not the goal, making it grow should be the target. In this context, he suggested that every panchayat should identify two-three acres of land in its area and make ‘Vriksh Mitra Sites’, where trees are planted regularly and their care becomes a collective responsibility. Similarly, every nagar panchayat, municipal corporation and urban local body should also fix many places in their respective areas where plantation is done and its monitoring is done. He said that when panchayats and urban local bodies give place and arrangement and ‘Vriksh Mitra Pariwar’ takes responsibility of trees and their care, then trees will remain safe and the saplings planted every year will truly become the capital of Green India.

Initiative to secure future agriculture and farmers’ lives

In his address, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan connected environment protection directly with agriculture and farmers’ future. He said that today for farmers the biggest questions are not only seeds and fertilisers, but availability of water, quality of soil and long-term health of fields. He also indicated that due to unbalanced chemical use and indiscriminate exploitation, the fertility power of soil is decreasing, due to which not only production is being affected, but the quality of crops and people’s health are also being adversely affected. He gave the message of balanced use for water and soil conservation – exploitation only as much as necessary, respect for the bearing capacity of soil, and expansion of such farming in which the health of the earth is also preserved and farmers’ income is also secured. He said that scientific approach and social participation are both needed to save fields, so that in future agricultural production and farmers’ lives do not remain insecure in the face of any big environmental crisis.

Making environment protection a daily habit through mission LiFE, energy conservation and plastic-free living

Union Minister Shri Chouhan, referring to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s ‘Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)’, said that changing lifestyle for the environment is the most effective and permanent solution. He said that turning off lights while leaving the room, immediately fixing a leaking tap, not wasting water, separating wet-dry waste, avoiding plastic bags and including coarse grains and local products in food – these are all small steps, but their effects are very big. Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, agreeing with the energy conservation measures told by Dr. Anoop Hazela, said that using LED lights, BLDC fans, energy efficient ACs and refrigerators is necessary not only to reduce bills but also for the environment. He said that as the number of electric vehicles increases, both energy production and conservation will become big issues, therefore from now on adopting energy saving devices in every household and every institution and removing plastic from life is necessary, only then the real effect of Mission LiFE will be visible.

Shri Anil Joshi and Dr. Hazela gave message of behavioural change and ‘adopting one tree’

Padma Bhushan environmentalist Shri Anil Joshi described Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s tree planting resolve not merely as a tree planting activity but as a long and inspiring thought. He said that Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s life and behaviour shows that even while in power, a person can work with simplicity, sensitivity and love for nature and this very thing makes him special. He said that for years he has been seeing Shri Shivraj Singh’s work and has found that there is no selfish turn in his personality, but a constant tendency to work for society and environment, which is the root of sustainability.

Shri Anil Joshi also said that IIT scientists have started scientific study of Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s tree planting and environmental works, in which through remote sensing and other technical means it will be seen what changes his planted trees and run campaigns have created on the ground. He said that this study will be a “case study” for policymakers, social organisations and people’s representatives sitting in Parliament in the future from which they will be able to understand how concrete improvement can be brought in the environment through continuous, simple and people-based efforts.

Renowned doctor and social worker Dr. Anoop Hazela, explaining climate change and sustainability in very simple language, said that increasing heat across the world, failing systems, stopping parades and breaking health systems show that this crisis is not limited to any one country or city. He described energy conservation, Reduce-Reuse-Recycle model of water, use of grey-water, minimum use and recycling of paper and plastic as major verticals to deal with climate change.

Dr. Hazela gave the message of “plant one tree, adopt one tree”. He said that those people who live in flats and cannot plant trees on new land, they too can adopt one small plant somewhere while going and coming daily, give it water every day, take care of it and see it turning into a big tree – this is true sustainability. Giving the example of his hospital, he said that there on occasions like World Environment Day, August 15 and January 26 they distribute hundreds of fruit-bearing plants so that every sapling gets planted somewhere on the earth and turns into a tree. He also said that if more and more institutions of the country work in the direction of “Green Certification”, then wide improvement is possible in the use of energy, water, waste and plastic and from this environment protection will get institutional strength.

****

RC/MS/MK