The National Mission For A Green India, sometimes known as the National Green India Mission (GIM) was one of eight missions the Prime Minister launched as part of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NAPCC). The Green India Mission seeks to mitigate climate change while maintaining, restoring, and improving India's forest cover. With a combination of adaptation and mitigation techniques, GIM also works to protect, restore, and enhance India's declining forest cover. This article will explain to you about the National Mission For A Green India (GIM) which will be helpful in preparing the Environment Syllabus for the UPSC Civil Service exam.

National Mission For A Green India

GIM - Objectives

• To preserve, improve, and increase India's diminishing forest cover.
• To combine adaptation and mitigation strategies in order to combat climate change.
• To boost incomes from forest-based sources of support.
• To increase carbon sequestration by 50–60 million tonnes annually by the year 2020.

GIM - Goals

• Enhancement of the ecological services provided by forests and non-forests, such as degraded grasslands, wetlands, and moderately dense, open forests (5 m ha).
• Scrub, moving agriculture zones, chilly deserts, mangroves, ravines, and abandoned mining regions need to be restored ecologically (1.8 m ha).
• Increased forest and tree cover in peri-urban and urban areas (0.20 m ha)
• Improvement of the forest and tree cover on marginal agricultural areas, follies, and other non-forest sites through agroforestry and social forestry (3 m ha)
• Management of public forests and non-forest regions (undertaken by the Mission) by community institutions
• Adoption of new energy-saving technologies and enhanced fuel-wood use efficiency by project area families.
• Diversification of the 3 million households that live in and around forests' primary sources of income.

GIM - Key Targets

Targets

To reach 5 million hectares (mha) of forest or tree cover, as well as to improve the quality of the forest cover on an additional 5 million hectares of forest or non-forest lands, are the targets.

Sub-targets

• Improve the condition of 1.5 million hectares of fairly dense woods that are degrading (ha).
• 3 million hectares of open forests that are being degraded need to be ecologically restored (ha)
• Restoration of 0.4 million hectares of grasslands
• Restoring wetlands on 0.10 million hectares
• 1.8 million hectares with various sub-targets are involved in ecological restoration of shifting agriculture regions, mangroves, scrub, ravines, cold deserts, and abandoned mining zones.
• 0.20 million hectares of forest have been added to metropolitan areas and their surroundings.
• An increase of 3 million hectares in forest and tree cover on marginal agricultural lands/fallows and other non-forest lands that are used for agroforestry.
• Increase the income of the 3 million households in and around these forest areas that depend on the forest for their way of life.
• By 2020, an increase in carbon dioxide sequestration to between 50 and 60 million tonnes was recommended.

GIM - Key Highlights

It has a one-year preparatory phase, which is distinct from other NAPCC missions that are described in the associated missions.

Features of the Preparatory Phase

• For the planning year 2011–12, Rs 50 crores were set aside from the National Clean Energy Fund.
• The amount was disclosed for 71 landscapes spanning 21 states and 708 communities.
• Micro-planning, entry point activities, nursery development, landscape identification awareness campaigns, and outreach were some of the activities in the preliminary phase.
• Activities under the Green India Mission are carried out in conjunction with the National Afforestation Program, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) (NAP).
• The North Eastern States would receive 90:10 of the plan outlay from the centre, while the remaining states would receive 75:25 of it.

GIM - Implementing Agencies

• National Level: At the national level, the Green India Mission is implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (GIM).
• State Level: At the state level, the mission is overseen by the State Forest Development Agency.
• District Level: The Forest Development Agency is in charge of carrying out implementation at the district level.
• Local Level: The main organizations for planning and implementation at the village level are the gram sabha and various committees.
• Urban Areas: The development and implementation of the mission will be facilitated by ward-level groups like the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) connected to the municipality/municipal corporations.

Significance of Forests in Relation to Climate Change

• The Green India Mission is concerned about the effects and potential that forests and other natural ecosystems can have on climate adaption and mitigation as well as the food, water, environmental, and livelihood security of tribal and forest people in particular as well as the country as a whole.
• For the following reasons, the Mission is in a special position to make a major contribution to the sustainability of other missions:
• Ameliorating climate: National conservation and sustainable management efforts over the past few decades have made the nation's forests a net CO2 sink.
• Food Security: The stability and favourable conditions required for prolonged agricultural productivity are maintained by forests.
• A study found that leaf litter gathered from the forests may be responsible for up to 50% of the Western Ghats' paddy fields' productivity.
• In areas with heavy rainfall, organic matter is crucial to maintaining the fertility, structure, and water-holding ability of the soils.
• Water Security: Forests are essential for regulating water flows, sub-soil water regimes, recharging aquifers, and sustaining the flow of water in rivers and rivulets. They also regulate the hydrological cycle.
• Livelihood security of local communities: Security of local communities' livelihoods depends on a variety of provisioning services provided by forests, including fuel wood, fodder, small timber, NTFP, and medicinal plants, as well as artisanal raw materials like canes and bamboo.
• These services are essential to the livelihood security of communities that depend on forests.
• A total of 275 million rural Indians, or over 27 % of the country's population, rely on the forests for their livelihood.
• This figure comprises 89 million tribal members, who make up the nation's poorest and most marginalized group.
• 75 % of the export revenue from the forest sector comes from the NTFP sector, which has an annual growth rate of between five and fifteen %.

Conclusion

The focus placed by the Green India Mission on the landscape approach—that is, landscapes as sizable contiguous expanses of forested and nonforested land—provides a better potential to achieve goals for both national and state forest policies. On both public and private lands, an integrated cross-sectoral strategy would be used, with the participation of grassroots groups and local communities in planning, decision-making, implementation, and monitoring. Additionally, GIM would consider the forces of "de-greening" that are at work throughout the nation and place a special emphasis on methods that prevent it.

FAQs

MCQs

1. What is the main goal of the National Mission for a Green India (GIM)?

A) To enhance urban development
B) To increase forest cover and carbon sequestration
C) To promote industrial growth
D) To reduce urban pollution

2. Which sector is primarily responsible for the implementation of the Green India Mission?

A) Ministry of Finance
B) Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
C) Ministry of Agriculture
D) Ministry of Rural Development

3. What is the target for carbon sequestration under GIM by the year 2020?

A) 30-40 million tonnes
B) 50-60 million tonnes
C) 70-80 million tonnes
D) 100 million tonnes

4. Which of the following is a key ecological restoration target of GIM?

A) Restoration of urban forests
B) Restoration of degraded grasslands and wetlands
C) Increasing agricultural productivity
D) Development of infrastructure for tourism

5. What is the preparatory phase of the Green India Mission?

A) One year for landscape identification and community engagement
B) Two years for policy formulation
C) Three years for infrastructure development
D) No preparatory phase

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Evaluate the role of the Green India Mission in combating climate change and its impact on forest ecosystems in India.

Answer: The Green India Mission is a key initiative under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) aimed at enhancing forest cover, restoring degraded ecosystems, and increasing carbon sequestration. By focusing on ecological restoration, forest conservation, and sustainable land use, the mission contributes to both climate change mitigation and adaptation. The mission’s impact on forest ecosystems includes the improvement of biodiversity, enhanced water retention, and soil stabilization. Its focus on increasing forest and tree cover has also improved local livelihoods, particularly for communities dependent on forests.

Q2: Discuss the key targets of the Green India Mission and how they contribute to sustainable development.

Answer: The Green India Mission aims to increase forest cover by 5 million hectares, restore 5 million hectares of degraded ecosystems, and promote agroforestry and tree planting in urban and peri-urban areas. These targets contribute to sustainable development by enhancing biodiversity, improving water management, and promoting carbon sequestration, which in turn helps in reducing the adverse impacts of climate change. The mission also focuses on improving the livelihoods of 3 million forest-dependent households, ensuring that sustainability is integrated with socio-economic development.

Q3: What are the challenges faced by the Green India Mission in achieving its objectives, and how can these challenges be addressed?

Answer: The Green India Mission faces challenges such as inadequate funding, lack of coordination between various levels of government, and resistance from local communities in some areas. Additionally, issues like illegal logging, land use changes, and climate change impact make the mission’s goals difficult to achieve. To address these challenges, there is a need for increased awareness, better community engagement, and enhanced funding from both government and private sectors. Strengthening governance frameworks and ensuring inter-departmental collaboration are also crucial for the mission’s success.

Previous Year Questions on Green India Mission

1. UPSC CSE Prelims 2021:

Question: Which of the following is a primary objective of the Green India Mission?

A) Expansion of irrigation facilities
B) Enhancement of forest cover
C) Increased coal mining
D) Improvement in industrial output

Answer: (B)

Explanation: The Green India Mission aims to enhance forest cover, restore degraded ecosystems, and improve carbon sequestration to combat climate change.

2. UPSC CSE Mains 2020 (GS Paper 3):

Question: "Evaluate the importance of the Green India Mission in India’s climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies."

Answer: The Green India Mission plays a vital role in India’s climate change strategy by enhancing carbon sequestration through the restoration and expansion of forests. It contributes to climate adaptation by improving ecological services such as water retention, soil stabilization, and biodiversity conservation. The mission also provides socio-economic benefits by enhancing the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities and contributing to sustainable development goals.