Maarg Manthan · Topic 13.4

Green India Mission

Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Environment and Climate Schemes · Topic 13.4

The Green India Mission, or GIM, is one of the eight National Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Union Cabinet approved it in February 2011, and field work began in 2014 with an estimated cost of about Rs 46,000 crore over ten years. Its goals are to increase forest and tree cover on 5 million hectares, improve the quality of forest cover on another 5 million hectares, raise carbon sequestration and support forest based livelihoods for about 3 million households. Work is done through Joint Forest Management Committees and gram sabhas.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Environment and Climate Schemes

At a Glance

Approved February 2011
Parent plan NAPCC
Area target 5 million ha new cover, 5 million ha improved
Planned cost About Rs 46,000 crore
Ministry Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Environment and Climate Schemes

Where Does It Fit?

This topic looks at how the Green India Mission works on the ground. Another topic in this macro, National Mission for a Green India, covers the same mission from the national policy angle, so this page focuses on targets, activities and implementation. Previous topic: National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Next topic: National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change.

What Are the Goals and Targets of the Green India Mission?

Goal	Target
Increase forest and tree cover	Add cover on 5 million hectares of forest and non-forest land
Improve quality of existing cover	Improve forest quality on another 5 million hectares, such as degraded forests
Carbon sequestration	Raise the amount of carbon stored, with a goal of about 50 to 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2020
Ecosystem services	Better water, biodiversity and soil services from forests
Livelihoods	Raise forest based income for about 3 million households
Adaptation	Make forests and communities more able to cope with climate change

How Is the Mission Carried Out?

Landscape approach: work is planned at the landscape level using a mix of forest, scrub, wetlands and farm land, instead of single plots
Eight sub-missions: the mission has sub-missions on forest cover increase, quality improvement, ecosystem restoration, urban forests, agro-forestry, community fuel and biomass, wetlands and mangroves, and capacity building
Joint Forest Management Committees: village committees of the Forest Department and local people plan and carry out the work
Gram sabhas: the village assembly approves the plan and the use of funds
State Forest Development Agency: each State has an agency that receives funds and manages projects, and it also ran the older National Afforestation Programme
Convergence: funds from other schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act are combined with mission funds to pay for planting, as in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
Use of technology: satellite data and geo-tagging are used to plan sites and monitor cover and survival of plants
Compensatory funds: money from CAMPA supports forest work and can reinforce the mission, as in Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA): Fund Rules and Recent Developments

What Else Should You Remember?

Reason for the mission: forests absorb carbon, protect water and give livelihoods to millions, but quality is poor in large areas, with many forests degraded
Forest cover data: the India State of Forest Report 2023 gave total forest and tree cover as about 25.17 percent of India’s area, against the goal of 33 percent in the National Forest Policy, 1988
Funding base: the plan assumed a large Central grant with convergence from other schemes, but actual releases were much smaller than the estimate, as reported
Projects sanctioned: projects were sanctioned for a subset of States, and several remained at the planning stage for years, so the mission is far below the planned 10 million hectares
Nodal ministry: the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change leads the mission, which also tackles forest degradation from grazing, fire, fuelwood collection and encroachment
Phase: after a pilot in a few States from 2014 to 2015, more States joined, and the mission continued under the Ministry’s budget
Community role: women and tribal people take part through self help groups and forest rights committees, with jobs in nurseries and plantation
Species selection: plans stress native species suited to the site, rather than single species plantations
Plantation criticism: critics say that plantations are counted as forest, but they differ from natural forests, and survival rates are often low
Land conflicts: plantations on common land can affect grazing and local rights if the gram sabha is not truly involved
Monitoring: third party monitoring and satellite checks are meant to track survival, but reporting gaps are common
Link with climate pledges: forest cover supports the carbon sink target in India’s climate commitments, as in Panchamrit Climate Commitments (COP26)
Sibling topic: for the policy framing and the link to the whole climate plan, read National Mission for a Green India

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Basics: year of approval, parent plan and ministry
Numbers: 5 million hectares plus 5 million hectares and the Rs 46,000 crore estimate
Institutions: Joint Forest Management Committees and gram sabhas
Data: forest and tree cover percentage and the 33 percent goal
Common errors: confusing the Green India Mission with the Green India Programme of another body, or giving the wrong area target

As an analytical point, community led forestry is more durable than top down planting. The mission’s weakness has been money and pace. Counting plantations as forest cover needs care, because the aim is quality, survival and livelihood benefit, not only numbers.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Targets 10 million hectares
Method Landscape and community
Issues Funds and plantation quality

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the national fund for climate adaptation projects. Next topic: National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change.

Key People and Terms

GIM Green India Mission
JFMC Joint Forest Management Committee
Sequestration Capture and storage of carbon
Afforestation Planting forest on non-forest land
SFDA State Forest Development Agency
Convergence Combining funds of different schemes

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Approved February 2011; under NAPCC.
Targets: 5 million ha new plus 5 million ha improved.
Cost estimate: about Rs 46,000 crore.
Delivery: JFMCs and gram sabhas.
Forest and tree cover: about 25.17 percent.

Do Not Confuse With

Green India Mission and Nagar Van Yojana Rural landscape forestry versus urban forests
Afforestation and reforestation Planting on new land versus replanting cleared forest
Green India Mission and CAMPA A mission budget versus a compensation fund

Memory Hook

Five million to add, five million to mend, with village committees to tend.

Mains Angle

Questions ask whether the mission can raise forest quality. These points give a balanced frame.

Benefits Carbon sink, livelihoods, water
Concerns Funding, slow progress, plantation quality
Way forward Native species, community control, monitoring

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Discuss the Green India Mission as a climate adaptation and mitigation strategy and explain why progress has been limited.”

How to Answer

Aim More and better forests.
Method Community and landscape.
Gaps Funds and survival.
Way Native species and monitoring.

GS Relevance

Prelims: targets, implementing bodies, parent plan. GS Paper 3: forest conservation, carbon sinks, climate adaptation, community participation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Green India Mission?

The Green India Mission is one of the eight National Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Approved in February 2011, it aims to add and improve forest and tree cover on 10 million hectares and raise carbon storage and forest livelihoods.

What are the targets of the Green India Mission?

The mission aims to increase forest and tree cover on 5 million hectares and improve the quality of cover on another 5 million hectares. It also targets additional carbon sequestration of 50 to 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2020 and higher forest based income for about 3 million households.

Who implements the Green India Mission on the ground?

State Forest Development Agencies manage funds and projects, while Joint Forest Management Committees of villagers and the Forest Department plan and carry out the work with the approval of the gram sabha. Funds from schemes like MGNREGA are combined with mission money to pay for planting and maintenance.

What is the estimated cost of the Green India Mission?

The mission was estimated to cost about Rs 46,000 crore over ten years, with a mix of Central funds and money from other schemes. Reported releases and actual coverage have been much lower than the plan, so the target of 10 million hectares has not been achieved within the planned period.

What is the latest status of the Green India Mission?

As reported, projects have been sanctioned only for some States, and progress is far below the original 10 million hectare plan. India's forest and tree cover was about 25.17 percent in the India State of Forest Report 2023. Check the Ministry for the current mission status and releases.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The Green India Mission is one of the eight missions under NAPCC.

True

It is led by MoEFCC.

2 The mission targets 5 million hectares in total.

False

It targets 5 million ha of new cover and 5 million ha of improvement.

3 Joint Forest Management Committees take part in implementation.