Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa has crossed a major milestone in its green mission by surpassing the plantation target for 2025–26 under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative. As of now, 2,02,712 seedlings have been planted across 809 sites, including more than 30,935 saplings by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), against the target of 2 lakh plantations.
Minister for Town & Country Planning, Health, and Forests Vishwajit Rane chaired a follow-up meeting with Forest Department officials on Saturday to review progress and chalk out an action plan to scale up the initiative.
“This milestone could not have been achieved without the active participation of students, teachers, forest officials, and local communities. Our larger objective is to plant five lakh trees under Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, thereby building a greener and more sustainable Goa for future generations,” Rane said.
He added that the government is also committed to addressing human-wildlife conflict and restoring degraded lands, making environmental sustainability an integral part of Goa’s development model.
To guide the effort, Rane said the department has engaged Shri Vinay Luthra, retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Karnataka, whose expertise will support policy framing, capacity building, afforestation practices, and wildlife-human coexistence strategies.
Officials said the next phase of the programme will focus on scaling up plantations, protecting saplings already planted, and ensuring community ownership of green spaces across Goa.
