Green India Mission

The Green India Mission (GIM) is one of the eight key missions launched under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), formally introduced in 2010. It represents a major national initiative aimed at enhancing forest cover, restoring degraded ecosystems, and increasing the resilience of forests and biodiversity against the adverse effects of climate change. The mission integrates ecological restoration with livelihood generation, acknowledging the close relationship between local communities and natural resources.

Background and Objectives

India’s forest ecosystems are vital for ecological stability, water security, and livelihood support for millions of people. However, deforestation, land degradation, and the impacts of climate change have posed significant threats to forest health and productivity. Recognising this, the Government of India launched the Green India Mission to address these challenges through community-driven, sustainable forest management.
The mission’s overarching goal is to “protect, restore and enhance India’s diminishing forest cover and respond to climate change through a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.”
Its key objectives include:

• Increasing forest and tree cover across degraded and non-forest lands.
• Improving ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and hydrological regulation.
• Enhancing the resilience of forest-dependent communities and ecosystems to climate variability.
• Promoting sustainable livelihoods through participatory forest management and capacity building.

Targets and Coverage

The Green India Mission initially set out ambitious targets for the 10-year period (2011–2021), later extended as part of India’s broader climate commitments under the Paris Agreement (2015). The main targets are:

• Increase forest/tree cover on 5 million hectares of land.
• Improve the quality of forest cover on an additional 5 million hectares.
• Enhance ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration by 50–60 million tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• Improve biodiversity, water availability, and soil fertility through afforestation and restoration measures.
• Strengthen community participation by involving local institutions such as Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs), Gram Sabhas, and self-help groups (SHGs).

The mission covers diverse ecosystems, including degraded forests, scrublands, grasslands, wetlands, mangroves, and urban green spaces, making it one of India’s most comprehensive environmental initiatives.

Key Strategies and Components

The implementation strategy of the Green India Mission rests on integrated landscape management, combining ecological restoration with local development. Major components include:

1. Afforestation and Reforestation:
   • Plantation of native species on degraded forest and non-forest lands.
   • Agroforestry promotion on private and community lands to support income generation.
2. Eco-restoration of Ecosystems:
   • Restoration of mangroves, wetlands, and grasslands to improve biodiversity and ecological balance.
   • Revitalisation of watersheds and river catchments for improved water regulation.
3. Community Participation:
   • Encouraging participatory forest management through decentralised planning and involvement of local communities.
   • Ensuring that forest-dependent people benefit from ecosystem-based livelihoods such as non-timber forest produce (NTFP) collection, honey, bamboo, and medicinal plants.
4. Capacity Building and Institutional Support:
   • Strengthening local governance and training forest user groups.
   • Use of technology and GIS mapping for monitoring and evaluation.
5. Biodiversity Conservation:
   • Protecting endangered species and restoring habitats.
   • Integrating biodiversity values into local forest management plans.
6. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation:
   • Enhancing carbon storage capacity through forest growth.
   • Promoting resilience to droughts, floods, and temperature fluctuations by improving vegetative cover.

Implementation Framework

The Green India Mission is implemented through a multi-tier institutional structure, involving coordination between the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), state forest departments, and local governing bodies.

• National Executive Council (NEC): Provides policy guidance and overall coordination.
• State Executive Councils (SECs): Oversee implementation at the state level.
• District and Gram Panchayat institutions: Execute ground-level activities with community participation.

Funding is sourced from multiple channels, including the National Fund for Climate Change, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The mission also leverages public–private partnerships (PPP) and international collaborations under climate financing mechanisms.

Linkages with Other Programmes

The Green India Mission complements and supports several other environmental and rural development schemes, including:

• National Afforestation Programme (NAP)
• National Mission for a Green India (NMGI)
• National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP)
• National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)
• National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA)

These linkages enable resource convergence and ensure that afforestation efforts align with broader socio-economic goals such as poverty reduction and rural employment.

Achievements and Progress

Since its inception, the Green India Mission has contributed to:

• The restoration of several million hectares of degraded forest land.
• The enhancement of carbon sequestration capacity, supporting India’s commitment to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2030.
• The promotion of community forestry through participatory management models.
• Improved biodiversity and soil moisture retention in several eco-restoration projects.

However, progress has varied across states, depending on institutional capacity, local participation, and funding availability.

Challenges and Limitations

Despite its broad framework, the mission faces several operational challenges:

• Funding Constraints: Irregular fund flow and dependency on convergence with other schemes limit implementation.
• Coordination Gaps: Overlaps between central, state, and local agencies can slow decision-making.
• Monitoring Difficulties: Measuring long-term ecological outcomes such as biodiversity recovery and soil improvement remains complex.
• Community Involvement: Ensuring equitable participation of marginalised groups and women continues to be a challenge.
• Climate Variability: Extreme weather events affect plantation survival and ecosystem restoration.

Future Outlook

The Green India Mission continues to be a vital component of India’s environmental policy and climate strategy. The future emphasis is on:

• Scaling up afforestation efforts using scientific and community-based approaches.
• Strengthening monitoring systems through remote sensing and digital tools.
• Integrating livelihood development with ecological restoration for sustainable outcomes.
• Expanding urban greening and ecosystem-based adaptation to support climate-resilient development.