The Assam Government has announced the ‘Brikhya Bandhu’ initiative, a student-led tree plantation campaign to commemorate India’s 80th Independence Day. The initiative seeks to combine afforestation with environmental awareness and youth participation.

Key Features

• The initiative has been announced by Assam Chief Minister under the Ek Ped Maa ke Naam 2026 campaign.
• Under the campaign, 10 lakh students across Assam from Class VI onwards will plant and nurture 1.5 crore saplings.
• The plantation drive is scheduled to be carried out from 10 August to 14 August as a part of the 80th Independence Day celebration.
• The campaign places emphasis not only on planting saplings but also on nurturing them, making long-term survival an important part of the initiative.
  • The initiative also introduced a system to monitor sapling survival. 
  • Students will upload geo-tagged photographs of the planted saplings on the Amrit Brikshya Andolan portal and submit a second photograph after 6 months to record their growth. 
  • Students who complete the process will receive an online ‘Brikshya Bandhu’ certificate, recognising them as “Friends of Trees”.
• It is presented as a student-led environmental campaign, encouraging young people to become active participants in ecological conservation.

Objectives of the Initiative

• Increase green cover: The campaign aims to contribute to Assam’s afforestation and ecological restoration efforts.
• Promote environmental stewardship: Students are encouraged to develop a sense of responsibility towards forests and the environment.
• Encourage public participation: By involving students on a large scale, the initiative seeks to make environmental conservation a community activity.
• Ensure survival of plantations: The focus on post-plantation care seeks to address a major weakness of plantation drives, where survival of saplings may receive less attention than the initial planting.
• Promote sustainable development: The initiative links environmental conservation with the participation of the younger generation.

Other Initiatives

• The Forest Department is also planning a larger fruit-tree plantation programme, ‘Folbari’, with a target of preparing around one crore indigenous fruit-bearing saplings by next April. 
• The species will include mango, jamun, leteku, paniyal and jackfruit.

Prelims Takeaways

• Brikhya Bandhu is a student-led tree plantation initiative of the Government of Assam.
• The target is 1 crore saplings through 10 lakh students.
• The campaign emphasises plantation as well as post-plantation nurturing.
• It is being organised as part of the celebrations for India’s 80th Independence Day.
• The initiative connects afforestation, youth participation and environmental stewardship.

Exam Hook: Prelims Question

Q. With reference to the ‘Brikhya Bandhu’ initiative, consider the following statements:

1. It has been launched by the Government of Assam.
2. It aims to involve 10 lakh students in planting and nurturing 1 crore saplings.
3. The initiative focuses only on plantation and does not include post-plantation care.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer: 1 and 2 only.

One-Line Wrap

Brikhya Bandhu seeks to turn Assam’s students into environmental stewards by combining large-scale plantation with long-term care of saplings.