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Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the revised roadmap for the National Mission for a Green India (GIM). The updated strategy focuses on restoring degraded ecosystems, enhancing forest cover, and addressing climate impacts, especially in vulnerable landscapes like the Aravallis, Western Ghats, Himalayas, and mangroves.

About Green India Mission (GIM)

• Launched in: 2014
• Under: National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
• Core Objectives:
  • Increase forest/tree cover by 5 million hectares.
  • Improve the quality of forest cover on another 5 million hectares.
  • Restore degraded ecosystems and enhance biodiversity.
  • Improve the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.

Achievements So Far

• Afforestation Activities: 11.22 million hectares covered (2015–16 to 2020–21) through central and state schemes.
• Funding: ?624.71 crore released (2019–24) to 18 states; ?575.55 crore utilized.
• Target Areas: Selected based on ecological vulnerability, sequestration potential, and restoration needs.

Key Features of the Revised Roadmap

• Landscape-Specific Restoration:
  • Prioritizes Aravalli ranges, Western Ghats, Himalayas, and mangrove ecosystems.
  • Emphasizes regionally adapted best practices for ecosystem restoration.
• Integration with Aravalli Green Wall Project:
  • Aims to combat desertification and sandstorm risks in northern India.
  • Initial restoration planned across 8 lakh hectares in 29 districts of 4 states.
  • Estimated cost: ?16,053 crore.
  • Aims to develop a 5 km buffer zone covering 6.45 million hectares around the Aravallis.
• Western Ghats Focus:
  • Tackling deforestation, illegal mining, and degradation.
  • Measures include afforestation, groundwater recharge, and mining site restoration.

Combating Land Degradation and Climate Change

• Land Degradation (2018–19): Affected 97.85 million hectares (~1/3rd of India’s land), per ISRO data.
• India’s Climate Targets (2030):
  • Create an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO? equivalent via forest/tree cover.
  • Restore 26 million hectares of degraded land.
• Carbon Sequestration Potential (FSI Estimates):
  • Restoration of open forests can sequester 1.89 billion tonnes of CO? over 15 million hectares.
  • With intensified afforestation and aligned schemes, forest cover could reach 24.7 million hectares—achieving a carbon sink of 3.39 billion tonnes CO? equivalent by 2030.

Significance of the Revised Mission

• Aligns with India’s NDCs under the Paris Agreement.
• Supports goals under UNCCD and UNFCCC.
• Helps mitigate climate change impacts by creating natural buffers and carbon sinks.
• Promotes ecological sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and community livelihood enhancement.