Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is implementing the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) to increase India's forest cover and address climate change through tree plantation and eco-restoration. The GIM, initiated in FY 2015-16, operates in 17 states and one union territory, requiring financial reciprocity from the respective States and UTs. Monitoring is conducted through a multi-tiered approach. As of 2023, forest cover has increased by approximately 33,111.95 sq km since 2015.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Scheme Overview:**
* The National Mission for a Green India (GIM) is a centrally sponsored scheme for tree plantation and eco-restoration.
* GIM is part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change.
* The scheme aims to protect, restore, and enhance India's forest cover while addressing climate change.
* **Implementation and Coverage:**
* GIM activities started in FY 2015-16.
* Seventeen states (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh) and one union territory (Jammu & Kashmir) are covered.
* State-wise and year-wise details of the area taken up for plantation/eco-restoration are in Annexure 1.
* **Survival and Growth Measures:**
* Monitoring of plantations is conducted through a multi-tiered approach at both State and Central levels.
* States/UTs conduct annual physical verification of plantation sites.
* States submit .kml files and geotagged photographs of plantation sites to the Ministry for centralized verification.
* **Financial Assistance:**
* Activities are implemented through Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs).
* State-wise details of funds released under GIM are in Annexure 2.
* **Outcomes:**
* Increased forest cover in India.
* Forest cover increased by approximately 33,111.95 sq km between 2015 and 2023.
* **Awareness and Participation:**
* The Ministry promotes initiatives like the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" campaign.
* Digital platforms (MeriLiFE portal) and social media are used to engage a wider audience, including NGOs and youth.
Impact Analysis:
* **State Governments/Union Territories:**
* Impact: Responsible for implementing GIM activities, conducting monitoring, and submitting progress reports.
* Action Required: Conduct annual physical verification of plantation sites, implement corrective interventions, and submit .kml files and geotagged photographs to the Ministry. States are also required to provide reciprocal financial obligation.
* **Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs):**
* Impact: Active participants in the implementation of GIM activities at the local level.
* Action Required: Participate in plantation and maintenance activities.
* **Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change:**
* Impact: Oversees the implementation of GIM, provides financial assistance, and conducts centralized verification and monitoring.
* Action Required: Monitor progress through submitted reports and data, provide necessary financial assistance, and promote awareness and participation.
* **Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Local Communities:**
* Impact: Encouraged to participate in tree planting and conservation efforts.
* Action Required: Participate in awareness campaigns and tree planting initiatives.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: The Indian government ministry responsible for environmental protection and climate change policies.
National Mission for a Green India (GIM): A centrally sponsored scheme for tree plantation and eco-restoration, requiring financial participation from States and Union Territories.
National Action Plan on Climate Change: A comprehensive action plan outlining India's strategy for addressing climate change, which includes the Green India Mission as one of its eight key missions.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India participating in the Green India Mission.
Arunachal Pradesh: A state in India participating in the Green India Mission.
Chhattisgarh: A state in India participating in the Green India Mission.
Jammu Kashmir: A Union Territory in India participating in the Green India Mission.
India State of Forest Reports: Reports that provide information on the state of forest resources in India.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3504
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025
Tree Plantation under Grants-in-Aid Scheme
3504. SHRI MUKESHKUMAR CHANDRAKAANT DALAL:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to
state:
(a) the details of the hectares of land being covered for tree plantation under the
Grants-in-Aid Scheme for Tree Plantation’s since its inception, State/UT and year-
wise;
(b) the details of the saplings planted and the total area covered under the said scheme
and the measures taken/being taken to ensure their survival and growth, State and
year-wise;
(c) the details of the financial assistance provided for planting and maintaining trees
under the said scheme and in which manner the sanctioned amount is disbursed to
Non- Governmental and Voluntary Organizations;
(d) the details of the measurable outcomes or environmental benefits have been
achieved under the aforementioned Scheme; and
(e) the steps taken or proposed/to be taken by the Government to increase awareness
among NGOs and local communities to encourage greater participation under the
scheme?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) & (b) The Ministry is implementing a Central Sponsored Scheme National Mission for a
Green India (GIM) for taking up the tree plantation and eco-restoration in the
selected landscapes which requires reciprocal financial obligation from the
respective States and UTs.. GIM is one of the eight Missions outlined under the
National Action Plan on Climate Change. It aims at protecting, restoring, and
enhancing India’s forest cover and responding to Climate Change by undertaking
plantation activities in the forest and non-forest areas in the selected landscapes.
GIM activities were started in the FY 2015-16. So far, seventeen States namely
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Karnataka Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha,
Punjab, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and one union territory
Jammu & Kashmir have been taken up under Green India Mission. The State wise
and year wise detail of area taken up for creation of plantation/eco-restoration under
Green India Mission is detailed in Annexure-1.
To ensure the survival rate and growth, monitoring of plantations under the Green
India Mission (GIM) is carried out through a multi-tiered approach involving both
State and Central level mechanisms. States/UTs conduct annual physicalverification of plantation sites to assess the survival rate of saplings and document
reasons for any observed mortality. Further, the State Forest Department takes
corrective interventions including focused maintenance drives to address site-
specific challenges regarding survival rate. As part of their annual progress reports,
States submit .kml files and geo-tagged photographs of plantation sites to the
Ministry, which are used for centralized verification and monitoring.
(c) The activities under GIM are being taken up in the selected landscapes through
active participation of Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs). The
statewise detail of funds released/financial assistance provided to the States under
Green India Mission is given in Annexure-2.
(d) The Green India Mission (GIM) has significantly contributed to the overall increase
in India’s forest & tree cover. According to the India State of Forest Reports, forest
cover have increased from approximately 794245.00 sq km in 2015 to 827356.95
sq km in 2023, representing a net increase of about 33111.95 sq km. These gains are
attributable to various afforestation and restoration initiatives carried out at both
state and central levels, including the Green India Mission.
(e) The Ministry has undertaken initiatives to raise awareness and encourage
participation of local communities such as promotion of “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”
campaign to foster emotional and community connection to tree planting. The
Ministry is also using digital platforms like MeriLiFE portal and other social media
outreach to engage a wider audience, including youth and urban NGOs, for
enhanced outreach and transparency.
*****Annexure-1
Annexure referred to in reply of part (a) & (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3504 regarding ‘Tree Plantation under Grants-in-Aid
Scheme’ raised by Shri Shri Mukeshkumar Chandrakaant Dalal due for reply on 11.08.2025.
The State wise and year wise detail of area taken up for creation of plantation/eco-restoration under Green India Mission:
(Area in Ha)
Total creation of
2015- 2016- 2017- 2018- 2019- 2020- 2021- 2022- 2023- 2024-
Sl. No. States plantation/eco-
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
restoration
1 Andhra Pradesh 0 534 0 0 0 899 0 0 0 0 1,433
2 Arunachal Pradesh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,412 902 5,314
3 Chhattisgarh 19,128 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19,128
4 Haryana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,301 0 1,301
5 Himachal Pradesh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 574 556 169 1,299
6 Jammu & Kashmir 0 0 0 0 0 0 951 115 712 0 1,778
7 Karnataka 760 0 0 600 0 560 405 397 0 0 2,722
8 Kerala 0 2,762 6,253 0 631 2,171 480 0 0 0 12,297
9 Madhya Pradesh 0 0 0 10,554 8,236 680 0 7,127 6,234 0 32,831
10 Maharashtra 0 0 0 5,223 0 0 0 0 0 0 5,223
11 Manipur 8,798 0 0 0 0 2,942 2,692 0 0 2,056 16,488
12 Mizoram 0 19,643 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19,643
13 Odisha 2,178 21 21 6,965 7,450 1,473 2,603 0 0 0 20,711
14 Punjab 0 1,286 1,732 0 0 1,100 875 1,575 0 0 6,568
15 Sikkim 0 0 0 1,509 0 0 2,474 2,584 0 0 6,567
16 Uttarakhand 0 0 0 7,483 0 0 1,706 3,297 2,350 0 14,836
17 West Bengal 0 0 0 0 0 0 995 1,611 0 0 2,606
18 Uttar Pradesh* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 30,864 24,246 8,006 32,335 16,317 9,825 13,181 18,581 14,264 3,127 1,70,745
*The GIM activities were started in 2024-25 and the state has taken advance work only for taking up the creation/plantation activities in current financial
year.Annexure-2
Annexure referred to in reply of part (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question
No. 3504 regarding ‘Tree Plantation under Grants-in-Aid Scheme’ raised by
Shri Shri Mukeshkumar Chandrakaant Dalal due for reply on 11.08.2025.
The State wise detail of fund released under Green India Mission from FY 2015-
16 to till date:
(Rs. in Crore)
Total Funds
Sl. No. States
Released
1 Andhra Pradesh 6.19
2 Arunachal Pradesh 34.71
3 Chhattisgarh 72.84
4 Haryana 47.73
5 Himachal Pradesh 17.09
6 Jammu & Kashmir 36.72
7 Karnataka 23.66
8 Kerala 41.88
9 Madhya Pradesh 123.26
10 Maharashtra 10.30
11 Manipur 65.72
12 Mizoram 160.21
13 Odisha 88.37
14 Punjab 26.95
15 Sikkim 42.73
16 Uttarakhand 167.59
17 West Bengal 10.95
18 Uttar Pradesh 5.43
Total 982.34
*****