Parliament Question: Funds for Mangrove Restoration in Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2412 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.08.2026 Funds for Mangrove Restoration in Tamil Nadu 2412. DR. T SUMATHY ALIAS THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN: Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state: a) whether the Government has assessed the extent of coastal erosion and the degradation of Blue Carbon ecosystems (mangroves and seagrass) in Tamil Nadu over the last five years; b) if so, the details thereof along with the funds allocated and utilized for mangrove restoration in Tamil Nadu under the MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes) Scheme since its inception; c) whether the State Government of Tamil Nadu has submitted any comprehensive action plan for funding under MISHTI and if so, the current status of its approval; and d) the technical and financial assistance provided by the Government to mitigate coastal erosion in highly vulnerable districts like Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam and Chennai? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) to (c) Coastal Protection works are undertaken by the respective State Governments/UTs. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change is implementing the “Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI)” to restore, promote and enhance sustainability of the coastal habitats including climate resilience capacity. The State Government of Tamil Nadu has not submitted any proposal for funding under MISHTI. However, as informed by Government of Tamil Nadu, a total of 4,183 hectares of mangrove creation and restoration has been undertaken in the state during the last five years. National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), under Ministry of Earth Sciences has carried out an assessment of shoreline changes along the Indian coast using remote-sensing datasets and field data for the period 1990–2022. As per the study, 39.2% of the Tamil Nadu’s coastline is eroding, 40.6% is stable and 20.2% is accreting. As informed by the Government of Tamil Nadu, under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response, the seagrass extent in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar has been estimated at 634.18 sq. km. Further, as per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2023 and 2021, the total mangrove cover in the state of Tamil Nadu is 41.91 sq. km (d) The details of financial assistance provided by the Government of Tamil Nadu under Tamil Nadu Sustainable Harnessing of Ocean Resources and Blue Economy (TN-SHORE) programme and Green Tamil Nadu Mission (GTM) is as given below:S. No District Name Scheme Year Creation of Restoration Financial New of Assistance Mangroves Degraded (in Lakhs) (in Ha) Mangroves (in Ha) Mayiladuthurai TN- 2025- 29.02 72.55 65.26 1 SHORE 26 TN- 2025- 58.04 21.76 68.92 SHORE 26 2 Nagapattinam GTM 2024- 20.00 - 12.24 25 Chennai GTM 2024- 20.00 - 6.28 3 25 Total 127.06 94.31 152.70