Performance Audit of the Green India Mission (GIM)
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) conducted a performance audit of the Green India Mission (GIM), highlighting significant shortcomings in achieving its objectives over a decade.
Key Findings
- Forest Quality Improvement:
- GIM aimed to improve forest quality over 1.4 million hectares but succeeded in only 0.11 million hectares, less than a tenth of its target.
- Forest Cover Expansion:
- The mission achieved merely 4% of its goal in expanding forest cover.
- Convergence Issues:
- GIM's intended collaboration with schemes like CAMPA and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme did not materialize.
Mission's Context and Objectives
- GIM was part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, launched in 2008.
- Promised under the Paris Agreement to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes by 2030.
- The mission aimed at ecological restoration, focusing on biodiversity, water, sequestration, and habitat revival.
Current State and Alternatives
- The mission appears sidelined in favor of a tree plantation initiative called ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (A Tree in the Name of Mother)’.
- Reportedly, 140 crore saplings have been planted, but forest data shows a discrepancy between tree cover and actual forest.
- The India State of Forest Report 2023 indicates a 1,445 sq km increase in green cover, with only 156 sq km being true forest.
Challenges and Critique
- Examples like the Aravallis highlight challenges in ecological restoration versus mere tree planting.
- The CAG audit notes the mission's failure to restore forests, focusing instead on counting trees rather than fostering living ecosystems.
- Restoration is emphasized as a complex process beyond simple landscaping efforts.
