National Mission for Green India: Objectives and Implementation

National Mission for Green India: Objectives and Implementation

Question: National Mission for Green India/GIM is one of the eight NAPCC missions. Highlight its main objectives as well as implementation.

National Mission for Green India is one of the 8 missions highlighted in the National Action Plan on Climate Change/NAPCC

Objectives

- The mission aims to protect, restore and enhance India’s falling forest cover

- It also aims to respond to climate change through a combination of adaptation as well as mitigation measures.

- The mission envisages a holistic view of greening and focuses on numerous ecosystem services such as biodiversity, preservation of mangroves, wetlands and critical habitats and preservation of water and biomass along with carbon sequestration

- Mission also aims at integrated cross sectoral approach to be implemented on public as well as private lands with the role of local communities in decision making, planning, monitoring and implementation

- The GIM also aims to increase forest cover to the extent of 5mha and improve quality of tree cover for another 5 mha of forest/non forest lands

- It will also improve and enhance eco-system services such as carbon sequestration and storage in forests and ecosystems, hydrological services and biodiversity alongside provisioning services such as fuel, fodder, timber and non timber forest products

- Another objective is to increase forest based livelihood income of 3 million households

Implementation

- GIM is based on convergence with related missions of the NAPCC as well as other complementary National Mission Schemes and Programmes for enhanced coordination in developing forests and fringe areas in a manner that is sustainable and holistic

- It involves contribution from converging partners to saturate land scape with need based interventions so there is optimal use of resources and avoidance of contrast activities

- GIM has also issued Convergence Guidelines of GIM with MNREGS and effort is on finalisation of convergence guideline with complimentary schemes to establish the approach for coordination at field level

- Convergence guidelines of GIM with CAMPA have been framed to bring about synergy to address environmental challenges and contribute to ecological security in the context of climate change

- Mission implementation is based on a decentralised participatory approach with grass root organisations being involved at all levels

- Gram Sabha and Committees mandated by the gram sabha including revamped JFMCs will oversee implementation at village level.

- At district or division level, revamped Forest Development Agency under the chairmanship of an elected representative is responsible

- At the State/UT level, revamped State Forest Development Agency with a Steering Committee chaired by Chief Secretary and Executive Committee chaired by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests is at the helm

- A Governing Council chaired by MoEF and National Executive Council chaired by Secretary (Environment and Forest) and under the co-chairmanship of the DGF and SS with Mission Director as member secretary at national level will also be responsible for implementation

- At cluster/landscape unit level, a multidisciplinary team comprising government and NGOs will facilitate planning and implementation

Facts and Stats

- From total expenditure of INR 13,000 crore in the 12th Plan, plan outlay is INR 2000 crore

- Source of funding for the scheme is from the Plan outlay and convergence with MGNREGA activities, CAMPA and NAP

- Sharing pattern for the plan outlay would be 90:10(centre: state) for NE states and 75 centre and 25 states for the remaining states

- The 13th Finance Commission has granted funds which may be counted towards the share of the state in conformity with the award of the Commission