**Executive Summary**
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has released its first Annual Report on the National Highways – Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) for 2025-26. This report, prepared in collaboration with ISRO's NRSC, provides a quantitative assessment of green cover along National Highways using satellite technology. The initial assessment covered approximately 30,000 km of National Highways from July to December 2024.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Purpose of NH-GCI:** To provide a quantitative assessment of plantations and green cover along National Highways.
* **Methodology:** Utilizes chlorophyll content detected through high-resolution satellite sensors to measure vegetation presence within the Right of Way (RoW).
* **NH-GCI Metric:** Reported as a percentage value representing the proportion of land covered by green cover within the RoW, assessed at a one-kilometre granularity.
* **Initial Assessment Scope:** Covered approximately 30,000 km of National Highways across 24 States during July-December 2024.
* **Future Monitoring:** Subsequent annual cycles will track year-on-year changes in green cover.
* **Collaborative Initiative:** Developed under a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NHAI and ISRO's NRSC, signed in January 2024.
* **Benefits:** Offers a robust, reliable, cost-effective, and time-efficient mechanism for macro-level estimation, enabling comparison, ranking, and targeted interventions for improved plantation management.
* **Commitment to Sustainability:** Reflects NHAI's commitment to enhancing environmental sustainability and green transformation of the National Highway network.
* **Report Availability:** A copy of the report is accessible on the NHAI website.
**Impact Analysis**
**National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)**
* **Impact:** Will utilize the NH-GCI findings for comparison, ranking, and targeted interventions to improve plantation management, thereby enhancing environmental sustainability and the green transformation of the National Highway network.
* **Action Required:** Access and review the released NH-GCI report for strategic planning and implementation of green initiatives.
**National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)**
* **Impact:** Involved in the scientific and quantitative assessment of green cover using advanced space-based technologies as per the MoU.
* **Action Required:** Continue collaboration with NHAI as per the three-year MoU for subsequent annual assessments.
Key Entities Referenced
National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI): The first annual report assessing green cover along National Highways, serving as the primary subject of the document.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI): The governmental body releasing the report and implementing the NH-GCI initiative.
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC): An organization in coordination with NHAI for preparing the NH-GCI report, utilizing space-based technologies.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): The parent organization of NRSC, involved in the scientific assessment of green cover.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU): The agreement between NHAI and NRSC that underpins the NH-GCI initiative.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
NHAI Releases First Annual Report on National
Highways – Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) for
2025-26
Posted On: 09 MAR 2026 5:42PM by PIB Delhi
With the objective to provide a quantitative assessment of the plantations along the National Highways,
NHAI has released the first-of-its-kind Annual Report on the National Highways Green Cover Index
(NH-GCI) 2025–26. The report has been prepared in coordination with the National Remote Sensing
Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The initiative aims to provide a
scientific and quantitative assessment of green cover within the Right of Way (RoW) along the National
Highways network by leveraging advanced space-based technologies.
The assessment is derived from chlorophyll content detected through high-resolution satellite sensors,
enabling an objective, technology-driven measure of vegetation presence along the left and right sides of
the highways. NH-GCI is reported as a percentage value that represents the proportion of land covered by
green cover within the RoW of National Highways at a granularity of one kilometre.
In this first assessment cycle, approximately 30,000 km of National Highways spanning 24 States have
been covered for the period July–December 2024. Subsequent annual cycles will track year-on-year
changes to monitor progressive improvements in green cover.
The initiative has been taken under a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that NHAI signed
in January 2024 with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO). This innovative approach offers a robust, reliable, cost-effective, and time-efficient mechanism
for macro-level estimation of the green cover along the National Highways. The findings will enable
comparison, ranking, and targeted interventions for improved plantation management.
The NH-GCI initiative reflects NHAI’s strong commitment to enhancing environmental sustainability and
advancing the green transformation of the National Highway network. A copy of the report is available on
the NHAI website. Read the report by clicking the following link:
https://nhai.gov.in/nhai/sites/default/files/mix_file/NRSC_NH-GCI_FinalReport_09Dec2025.pdf
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