In the Union Budget 2020-21 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, the Ministry of Environment was allocated Rs 3,100 crore, while a Rs 4,400 crore plan was announced to encourage states to formulate plans to ensure clean air in cities with a population of more than 1 million.

Budgetary allocation for the National Mission for Green India (GIM) has been raised from Rs 240 crore in the last financial year to Rs 311 crore this year with the national afforestation programme being allotted Rs 246 crore, higher than last year’s Rs 179 crore.

National Mission for Green India

The National Mission for a Green India - commonly known as Green India Mission (GIM) - is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

It was launched in February 2014 with the objective to safeguard the biological resources of our country and associated livelihoods against the peril of adverse climate change and to recognise the vital impact of forestry on ecological sustainability, biodiversity conservation and food, water and livelihood-security.

It aims at protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.

It envisages a holistic view of greening and focuses on multiple ecosystem services, especially, biodiversity, water, biomass, preserving mangroves, wetlands, critical habitats, etc along with carbon sequestration.

This mission has adopted an integrated cross-sectoral approach as it is implemented on both public as well as private lands with a key role of the local communities in planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring.

Goals of GIM

* To increase forest / tree cover over 5 million hectares and improve the quality of forest / tree cover on another 5 million hectares of forest / non-forest lands.

* To improve / enhance ecosystem services.

* To uplift the socio-economic condition of the fringe area population of about 3 million households.

The mission strives for enhancing carbon sinks in sustainably managed forests and other ecosystems, adaptation of vulnerable species / ecosystems to the changing climate and adaptation of forest-dependent communities.

GIM also aims at convergence with complementary schemes and programmes for better coordination in developing forests and their fringe areas in a holistic and sustainable way, which is required to address the challenges being faced in environment, forest and wildlife sectors.

A multidisciplinary team, both from the government and NGOs, are mandated to facilitate planning and implementation at cluster / landscape unit level.

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