The Assam government has announced an ambitious target of planting one crore saplings across the state under the Amrit Brikshya Andolan, with the mass plantation drive scheduled to be held from August 10 to 14, 2026.
The announcement was made by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah during a plantation programme at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to mark the 77th Van Mahotsav. The campaign is being positioned as one of the country’s largest public participation initiatives for environmental conservation.
Addressing the programme, the minister said every sapling planted under the campaign would contribute to building a greener, healthier and more environmentally sustainable Assam.
The state government plans to involve nearly 10 lakh students from Class IX onwards, including those studying in colleges, engineering institutions and medical colleges. Each student will plant 10 saplings, enabling the state to achieve the target of one crore trees.
To improve the survival rate of the plantations, the government has introduced a survival-based incentive mechanism. Students who successfully nurture the saplings through geo-tagged monitoring will be recognised as ‘Briksha Bandhu’. Each participating student will also receive support from a job card holder under the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin).
According to the government, the Amrit Brikshya Andolan draws inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign and Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). The initiative is aimed at strengthening climate action, ecological restoration and sustainable development.
Officials said the programme has evolved into one of Assam’s most successful environmental campaigns since its launch, bringing together students, youth, self-help groups, Panchayati Raj Institutions, government departments and local communities through digital registration, geo-tagging and scientific monitoring of plantations.
The campaign is part of Assam’s broader environmental agenda, which includes expanding social and community forestry, promoting indigenous tree species, restoring degraded forest landscapes, protecting biodiversity and taking action against illegal tree felling and unauthorised sawmills.
The government is also implementing several complementary initiatives, including the Phalbari Initiative, under which one crore indigenous fruit-bearing saplings will be distributed, and Janmadin Seuj Shopath, encouraging people to celebrate birthdays by planting trees.
As part of the Janmadin Seuj Shopath programme, one birthday garden is proposed to be established in every Assembly constituency of the state. The first such garden was inaugurated by Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah at Topatali in Sonapur under the Dimoria Assembly constituency on Monday.
The government said the Amrit Brikshya Andolan is intended not only as a plantation programme but also as a people’s movement to conserve Assam’s forests, rivers and biodiversity while encouraging greater public participation in environmental protection.
