Performance Audit on the Green India Mission, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

निष्कर्ष

1. 2018 तक 28 लाख हेक्टेयर वनरोपण के स्वीकृत लक्ष्य के मुक़ाबले मार्च 2025 तक — यानी दस वर्ष के क्रियान्वयन के बाद — 1.4793 लाख हेक्टेयर पर ही काम हुआ था।

   “Audit scrutiny reveals that while the country's overall forest and tree cover marginally increased from 24.62 per cent (ISFR 2021) to 25.17 per cent (ISFR 2023), GIM, despite being the flagship afforestation programme of MoEF&CC, could not deliver commensurate output. As of March 2025, afforestation interventions were made only on 0.14793 million hectare of land during the period 2015-16 to 2024-25, against the approved target of 2.8 million hectare to be achieved by 2018 under GIM.”Executive Summary

2. मिशन की ₹13,000 करोड़ लागत में ₹10,600 करोड़ अन्य योजनाओं — कैम्पा, मनरेगा और राष्ट्रीय वनरोपण कार्यक्रम — से आने थे। वह अभिसरण हुआ ही नहीं, और मंत्रालय ने दस वर्षों में केवल ₹1,149.14 करोड़ दिए।

   “Out of ₹13,000 crore, a total of ₹10,600 crore was to be sourced through convergence with schemes like Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (₹6,000 crore), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (₹4,000 crore) and National Afforestation Programme (₹600 crore). However, it was observed that the convergence of activities of GIM with other afforestation schemes amounting to ₹10,600 crore could not be achieved and the proposed funding support could not be attained. Consequently, all the activities for GIM were financed by MoEF&CC through the limited annual budgetary support received from the Government of India. Only ₹1,149.14 crore (47.88 per cent) had been provided during 10 years of implementation (2015-16 to 2024-25).”Executive Summary

3. भारत के राष्ट्रीय निर्धारित योगदान से मिशन को जोड़ने के लिए 2021 में 2030 तक 2.5 करोड़ हेक्टेयर का नया लक्ष्य अपनाया गया, पर सितंबर 2025 तक उसके क्रियान्वयन दिशानिर्देश बने ही नहीं थे।

   “In order to realign Green India Mission with India's Nationally Determined Contribution of creation of an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon equivalent through forest and tree cover, the Ministry adopted new afforestation target of 25 million hectare in 2021, to be achieved by 2030. Further, the implementation guidelines for achieving the new target of 25 million hectares set in 2021 had not been framed by the Ministry as of September 2025.”Executive Summary

4. मिशन का घोषित उद्देश्य पारिस्थितिक रूप से नाज़ुक भूमि — झाड़-भूमि, बीहड़, आर्द्रभूमि, परित्यक्त खदानें — हरी करना था, पर रोपण मुख्यतः कम-संवेदनशील स्थलों तक सीमित रहा और महत्वपूर्ण भू-दृश्य लगभग अछूते रह गए।

   “Conceptually, GIM is a forward-looking initiative that adopted a landscape-level approach and emphasised greening of ecologically fragile and critical areas such as scrublands, ravines, wetlands and abandoned mines. However, Audit observed that on the ground plantation activities were largely confined to low-vulnerability sites, while ecologically critical landscapes despite being identified in multiple studies and present across several States, were largely ignored.”Executive Summary

5. लेखापरीक्षा ने जीपीएस, गूगल अर्थ प्रो की उपग्रह छवियों और भारतीय विज्ञान संस्थान बेंगलुरु के कालिक विश्लेषण से रोपण स्थलों की स्वतंत्र जाँच की, और परखे गए स्थानों में से लगभग 70 प्रतिशत में कोई या नगण्य सुधार पाया।

   “As a demonstration of effective analysis of data available with MoEF&CC using available technology, Audit attempted to independently validate and evaluate the performance reports under GIM by evaluating the area where GIM interventions were undertaken using a GPS device, by viewing the KMLs of plantation sites on Google Earth Pro and leveraging the services of IISc, Bangalore, to conduct temporal analysis. This analysis revealed little to no improvement in nearly 70 per cent of the locations assessed.”Executive Summary

6. शीर्ष राष्ट्रीय संचालन परिषद और राष्ट्रीय कार्यकारी परिषद निर्धारित से कम बार मिलीं, और पुनर्गठित राज्य तथा जिला निकाय या गठित ही नहीं हुए या काम नहीं कर रहे थे, जिसे लेखापरीक्षा ग़लत स्थल-चयन से जोड़ती है।

   “The meetings of National Governing Council and National Executive Council at the apex level were conducted less often than the prescribed frequency, resulting in delays in the approval of Perspective Plans, APOs and non-resolution of key issues relating to the implementation of GIM. Non-constitution of revamped bodies and inadequate functioning of the revamped bodies at the State and the District level hindered not only the programmatic convergence envisioned under GIM but also led to faulty selection of sites.”Executive Summary

7. जो कुछ हुआ उसका बड़ा हिस्सा मौजूदा वन गुणवत्ता सुधारने वाले उप-मिशन में था; नए रोपण की गुंजाइश वाले तीन उप-मिशनों — पारिस्थितिकी पुनर्स्थापन, शहरी वृक्ष आवरण, तथा कृषि एवं सामाजिक वानिकी — पर केंद्र और राज्य दोनों का ध्यान सीमित रहा।

   “The bulk of GIM interventions were concentrated under Sub Mission 1, which focused on improving the quality of existing forest cover. In contrast, Sub Missions 2, 3 and 4 (Ecosystem restoration and increase in Forest Cover, Enhancing tree cover in Urban and Peri-Urban areas and Agro Forestry and Social Forestry) where substantial scope existed for new plantations and expansion of forest and tree cover, elicited limited attention and weak response from both Central and State authorities.”Executive Summary

8. लेखापरीक्षा का समग्र निष्कर्ष है कि मिशन का एक दशक एक प्रभावशाली दृष्टि दिखाता है, जो अपर्याप्त नियोजन, बिखरे समन्वय, लगातार कम वित्तपोषण, तकनीक के अल्प उपयोग और कमज़ोर निगरानी से बँधी रही।

   “In sum, the decade-long implementation of the Green India Mission reflects a compelling vision constrained by inadequate planning, fragmented institutional coordination, persistent under-funding, underutilisation of technology and weak monitoring mechanisms. The experience of GIM underscores the critical need for realistic planning, assured financing, robust institutional frameworks and outcome-oriented monitoring if future environmental missions are to translate ambition into measurable impact.”Executive Summary

इस रिपोर्ट को उद्धृत करने वाले फ़ैक्ट-चेक

• ◑संदर्भ अधूरावनरोपण और कृषि-वानिकी को बढ़ावा: हम वृक्ष आवरण बढ़ाकर कार्बन सिंक का लक्ष्य पाने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध हैं।