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Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP, on Thursday said martyred President Ziaur Rahman was the first leader in Bangladesh to call for a “Green Revolution,” crediting him with pioneering large-scale tree plantation and environmental conservation initiatives.
Speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the Month-long Tree Plantation Programme 2026 in Dhaka-18 at the Nawab Habibullah School and College premises in Uttara, the minister said Ziaur Rahman strengthened the rural economy through canal excavation programmes and nationwide tree plantation campaigns, inspiring people to build a self-reliant nation by protecting nature.
He described Ziaur Rahman as the architect of modern Bangladesh and said his environmental initiatives laid the foundation for sustainable development in the country.
The minister also recalled that former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia formally expanded the national tree plantation movement by planting a mahogany sapling at Shalna in Gazipur in 1991. He added that she launched the National Tree Fair in 1994, helping take the campaign to communities across the country.
Calling on every family, educational institution, youth and volunteer organisation to plant and nurture at least one tree, Mintoo expressed optimism that Bangladesh could achieve its target of increasing forest and tree cover to 27 percent by 2035 ahead of schedule through collective efforts.
Speaking as a special guest, State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque said trees provide far more than oxygen, playing a vital role in environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and reducing the risks of natural disasters.
He urged people to ensure proper care of saplings after planting them and stressed the importance of implementing the government’s election pledge to plant 250 million trees over the next five years.
Presiding over the programme, SM Jahangir Hossain, MP, representing Dhaka-18, said failure to protect trees would ultimately threaten human survival.
He announced that extensive tree plantation drives would be carried out across roadsides, educational institutions, public spaces and neighbourhoods throughout the constituency.
Following the inauguration, the guests planted saplings of various fruit-bearing, timber and medicinal tree species, formally launching the month-long campaign.
Under the programme, trees will be planted in educational institutions, along roads, at government and private establishments, religious institutions and other open spaces across Dhaka-18.
The event was attended by local public representatives, members of social and voluntary organisations, leaders and activists of BNP and its affiliated bodies, journalists from print, electronic and online media, and a large number of local residents.