Vanamahotsavam: 5.32 crore done, which 86%
Rural Development told Seethakka it has planted 5.32 crore saplings against its 6.18-crore target. That’s the department’s slice — not the whole 16.06-crore programme. Survival isn’t claimed; watering and fencing orders suggest the real work now is keeping them alive.
The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj component has reported 5.32 crore saplings planted against a 6.18-crore target.
Officials told Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka on August 25 that 5.32 crore saplings have been planted against the Rural Development/Panchayat Raj component’s 6.18-crore Vanamahotsavam target — about 86% — leaving 86 lakh to finish. The meeting, held over video from the Secretariat, included the commissionerate and district RD functionaries, according to reports.
The instruction set was practical: upload plantation details online, water regularly, strengthen fencing, and work toward 100% survival. In other words, “planted” is not “survived” yet.
Scope matters. A June briefing put the overall Vanamahotsavam target at 16.06 crore across departments. The Forest Department’s public dashboard still shows 8.97 crore planted/distributed of that wider target — 55.86% — because it’s tracking the state-wide programme, not just Rural Development’s piece. Treat the 5.32-crore figure as the RD/Panchayat Raj component unless the department publishes the reconciliation.
The Congress government in Karnataka isn’t the problem here for once; the arithmetic is. Telangana’s programme is moving, and the next honest headline is survival, not slogans. The BJP-led Centre will no doubt count trees at election time; Seethakka is counting waterings now, which is how saplings turn into shade.