New Delhi, Jun 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday led the World Environment Day celebrations by launching a major reforestation effort to revive the 700-km-long Aravalli mountain range, aimed at strengthening the region’s ability to combat climate change, tackle air pollution and improve groundwater levels.
The prime minister also announced the expansion of the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign, which encourages people to plant saplings in honour of their mothers.
According to the Centre, the Aravalli Green Wall Project will play a key role in helping India create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent and restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
The project aims to create a five-km-wide green belt across 29 districts, covering 6.45 million hectares in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Around 42 per cent (2.7 million hectares) of this land is currently degraded.
The Aravallis, the oldest mountain range in India, act as a natural barrier against desertification and protect cities like Delhi, Jaipur and Gurugram from the spread of the Thar desert.
The mountain range is the source of rivers like the Chambal, Sabarmati and Luni, and is home to forests, grasslands and wetlands that support several endangered species.
However, the mountain range is under severe stress due to deforestation, mining, grazing and encroachment, which have worsened desertification, damaged water sources and harmed its biodiversity.
Of the total degraded land, 81 per cent lies in Rajasthan, 15.8 per cent in Gujarat, 1.7 per cent in Haryana and 1.6 per cent in Delhi, according to the action plan.
The prime minister also planted a sindoor sapling at his residence, which was gifted to him by a group of women who showed courage during the 1971 war against Pakistan.
“This plant will remain a strong symbol of the valour and inspiration of women of the country,” Modi said in a post on X.
The sapling holds symbolic value, as India named its military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack Operation Sindoor to signal its resolve against targeted killings.
“Sindoor” (vermilion) is traditionally applied by married Hindu women and represents the cultural and religious value attached to marriage in Indian society.
Modi also flagged off 200 electric buses under a Delhi government initiative aimed at promoting clean urban transport.
In a video message, he said countries must rise above self-interest to protect the global climate. The prime minister said India has been actively working to reduce plastic pollution for the last four to five years.
The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is “Beat Plastic Pollution”. Countries are expected to meet again in two months to continue negotiations for a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
At an event in Delhi, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said an eco-friendly lifestyle is the real solution to plastic pollution. He urged people to stop using single-use plastic.
“Plastic has entered our soil and water, affecting our health. It is reaching our land, rivers and oceans,” the minister said.
He added that India is one of the first countries to ban single-use plastic less than 120 microns thick and called for a wider adoption of reduce, reuse and recycle technologies.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) chief Inger Andersen urged India to take a leadership role in negotiating the global plastics treaty and strike a balance between ambition and inclusiveness.
“The treaty has to be general enough so that everybody sees themselves in the mirror but also ambitious enough so that it solves the problem,” she said.
Talks on the global treaty began in 2022, but the last round in South Korea’s Busan in December 2024 ended without agreement due to differences among countries.
Across India, leaders marked the occasion with plantation drives and pledges to tackle plastic waste.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma launched the “Vande Ganga: Jal Sanrakshan Jan Abhiyan”, a water-conservation campaign to mark both World Environment Day and Ganga Dussehra.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said people must understand the global impact of plastic pollution for solutions to work.
The Andhra Pradesh government launched a campaign to plant one crore saplings and raise the state’s green cover from 29 per cent to 50 per cent.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stressed the need for sustainable and environmentally-responsible development and a democratic use of natural resources.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said environmental protection should go beyond symbolic actions and be rooted in real steps to preserve nature.
West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya called upon mothers to guide children in stopping the use of single-use plastic.
Nagaland observed the day with mass tree-plantation drives, cleanliness campaigns and awareness programmes to support the fight against plastic pollution.(PTI)
