Green India Mission (2014): Building A Greener Future For India

Policy Update
Pritha Chowdhary

Background

Forests provide important ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, soil and water conservation, climate regulation, and the provision of fuel, fodder, timber and non-timber forest products. They are also an important source of livelihood for communities living in and around forest areas. Recognising their ecological importance, the National Forest Policy, 1988 set the objective of maintaining forest and tree cover over at least one-third of the country’s geographical area, while emphasising the need to protect ecological stability and prevent soil erosion and land degradation.

However, India’s forests have faced increasing pressure from land-use change, expansion of agriculture and infrastructure, urbanisation, extraction of forest resources and degradation of forest ecosystems. The scale of the challenge is reflected in the fact that, according to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, India’s total forest and tree cover was 8,27,356.95 sq. km, or 25.17% of its geographical area, which remained below the one-third objective of the National Forest Policy (ISFR Report, 2023).

Against this background, the Government of India introduced the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) in 2014 as one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The Mission subsequently began implementation in 2015-16 and was designed to protect, restore and enhance India’s forest cover through a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.

Objectives:

To increase forest cover to the extent of 5 million hectares (mha) and improve quality of forest cover on another 5 mha of forest/non-forest lands;
To improve eco-system services like carbon sequestration and storage (in forests and other ecosystems), hydrological services and biodiversity; along with provisioning services like fuel, fodder, and timber and non-timber forest produces (NTFPs)
To increase forest based livelihood income of about 3 million households.

Functioning

The Green India Mission works through a landscape-based and participatory approach. Rather than focusing exclusively on government forest land, it also promotes activities on non-forest areas, community land and private/institutional land where appropriate. Implementation involves the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), State Forest Development Agencies (SFDAs), Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) and other state-level institutions. Technical support is provided by organisations such as the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM).

The following five submissions, integrating adaptation, mitigation measures and one intervention under the National Mission for a Green India are given below:

SM-1: Enhancing quality of forest cover and improving ecosystem services
SM-2: Ecosystem restoration and increase in forest cover
SM-3: Enhancing tree cover in Urban & Peri-urban areas (including institutional lands)
SM-4: Agro-Forestry and Social Forestry (increasing biomass & creating carbon sink)
SM-5: Restoration of Wetlands
Intervention: Promoting alternative fuel energy and livelihood support to households (biogas, solar devices, LPG, biomass-based systems, improved stoves)

Source: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change-Green India Mission official

Performance

As of 2024-25, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change reported that ₹944.48 crore had been released to 17 States and one Union Territory under GIM for plantation, eco-restoration and livelihood-improvement activities covering 1,55,130 hectares (PIB, 2024). Financial utilisation remains an important indicator of the Mission’s implementation performance. The PRS analysis of the Demand for Grants 2026-27 shows that the Green India Mission has experienced under-utilisation of funds since 2020-21. For 2025-26, only 28% of the allocated funds had been utilised according to the revised estimates, while the Mission received an allocation of ₹170 crore for 2026-27, representing a 63% increase over the 2025-26 revised estimate (PRS, 2026).

Figure 1: Fund utilisation under the Green India Mission (in Rs crore)

Source: PRS India-Demand for Grants 2026-27

The Mission has also undertaken activities at different stages of restoration, including advance preparation, plantation creation and maintenance of plantations. During 2019-20 to 2023-24, the participating States and Union Territory reported 79,972 hectares under advance work, 59,680 hectares under creation work and 70,757 hectares under maintenance activities (MoEFCC, 2024). These figures indicate that GIM implementation involves not only planting but also preparatory and post-plantation maintenance activities, which are important for the long-term survival of restored vegetation.

An important recent development is that, according to a 2026 Ministry update, cumulative GIM implementation had brought 1,84,467 hectares under eco-restoration across the same 17 States and one Union Territory since 2015–16 (PIB, 2026). This indicates that the physical coverage of the Mission has expanded since the 2024 reporting period. However, the Mission’s performance should still be assessed against its much larger long-term restoration and forest-cover objectives, rather than only in terms of the area planted.

Impact

The broader impact of GIM can be assessed through changes in India’s forest and tree cover, carbon stocks and ecosystem restoration, although these outcomes cannot be attributed exclusively to GIM, as several other programmes, natural regeneration and private or community plantations also contribute to national forest outcomes. Forest cover itself increased from 6,98,712 sq. km in 2013 to 7,15,342.61 sq. km in 2023, indicating an increase of about 16,631 sq. km over the decade.

An important climate-related outcome has been the increase in forest carbon stock. ISFR 2023 estimated India’s forest carbon stock at 7,285.5 million tonnes, an increase of 81.5 million tonnes compared with the 2021 assessment . India has also achieved an estimated additional 2.29 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent carbon sink from forest and tree cover since 2005, bringing it closer to its NDC target of 2.5-3 billion tonnes by 2030 (FSI, 2024).

These developments indicate progress towards carbon sequestration, ecosystem restoration and climate mitigation. Nevertheless, the national-level increase in forest cover and carbon stock should be viewed as a broader environmental outcome rather than a direct measure of GIM’s impact, because India’s forest sector is supported by multiple schemes, including Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), afforestation programmes, agroforestry and other conservation initiatives. The Green India Mission’s specific contribution is therefore better understood through its direct restoration activities, landscape interventions and livelihood-related programmes.

Emerging Issues

Large gap between targets and implementation: One of the major concerns is the difference between the Mission’s ambitious targets and the area actually covered through reported GIM activities. The reported 1,55,130 hectares of plantation/eco-restoration by 2024-25 is considerably smaller than the Mission’s long-term targets.
Under-utilisation of funds: Financial utilisation has also been a concern. This suggests that increasing budgetary allocations alone may not be sufficient. Administrative capacity, timely release and utilisation of funds, state-level implementation and monitoring also need attention.
Survival and quality of plantations: The success of afforestation cannot be measured only by the number of saplings planted or the area reported as planted. Long-term survival, growth, species diversity and ecological suitability are equally important. Plantation with unsuitable or monoculture species may not provide the same biodiversity and ecosystem benefits as restoration based on locally appropriate native species.
Community participation: Because many forest-dependent communities rely on forests for fuel, fodder, food and non-timber forest products, successful restoration requires meaningful community participation. Weak participation or insufficient livelihood alternatives may reduce the sustainability of conservation activities.
Climate change and forest fires: Climate change is increasing ecological stress in many landscapes. Forest fires, droughts, heat stress and changing rainfall patterns can affect the survival of plantations and natural forests. Therefore, restoration programmes need to incorporate climate-resilient species, fire management and landscape-level planning.
Monitoring and attribution: Another challenge is determining how much of the observed increase in forest/tree cover can actually be attributed to GIM. India’s overall forest cover is influenced by many programmes, natural regeneration, agroforestry and tree plantations outside GIM. Stronger GIS-based monitoring and transparent outcome indicators are therefore important for evaluating the Mission accurately.

Way Forward

First, funding should be linked more closely to measurable outcomes such as tree survival, improvement in forest quality, biodiversity, soil and water conservation and carbon sequestration rather than simply the area planted. Second, native and ecologically appropriate species should receive greater emphasis, particularly in biodiversity-sensitive landscapes. Restoration should focus on natural regeneration wherever it is ecologically appropriate rather than assuming that planting trees is always the best restoration method.

Third, monitoring should be strengthened through satellite imagery, GIS, field surveys and survival audits. Publicly accessible dashboards can make it easier to track the area restored, survival rates, expenditure and ecological outcomes at the state and landscape levels. Fourth, greater emphasis should be placed on community-based forest management and livelihood diversification. Communities should receive tangible economic benefits from restoration through agroforestry, non-timber forest products, ecotourism where appropriate and other sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Finally, the Mission needs stronger coordination with programmes related to MGNREGA, watershed development, agroforestry, biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation. This can improve resource utilisation and prevent duplication of activities. Given the gap between the Mission’s long-term targets and reported implementation, improving the utilisation of available funds and strengthening state-level institutional capacity should also be a priority.

References

Forest Survey of India. (2023). India state of forest report 2023 (Vol. 1). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. https://fsi.nic.in/uploads/isfr2023/isfr_book_eng-vol-1_2023.pdf?
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. (2024, July 29). Green India Mission. Press Information Bureau. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2038296&lang=2&reg=48
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. (2024, December 27). India’s green recovery: Forest and tree cover grows, fire incidents fall. Press Information Bureau. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?ModuleId=3&NoteId=153608&lang=1&reg=3

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. (2025, February 6). Steps to bring more area under green cover. Press Information Bureau. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2100254&reg=48&lang=2
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. (2026). Restoration of degraded forest land. Press Information Bureau. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2297279&lang=1&reg=3
PRS Legislative Research. (2026). Demand for grants 2026–27 analysis: Environment, forests and climate change. https://prsindia.org/budgets/parliament/demand-for-grants-2026-27-analysis-environment-forests-and-climate-change?
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. (n.d.). Green India Mission (GIM). https://moef.gov.in/green-india-mission-gim?

About the Contributor

Pritha Chowdhury is a postgraduate in Economics from Jadavpur University. Her academic interests include public policy, economic development, innovation policy, and data-driven policy analysis.

Reviewers: Anamika P K, Shruti Chandra

Acknowledgment

The author extends sincere thanks to the IMPRI team for their guidance and support in developing this Policy Update.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this policy update are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of IMPRI or any affiliated institution. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information and data presented, readers are encouraged to verify facts independently before relying on them for any decision-making purpose.