National Mission for a Green India (GIM)

The objective presents a complete view of going green and emphasizes many ecosystem services, such as biomass, biodiversity, water, and others, in addition to the carbon capture targets. Also offers other services like providing fuel, animal feed, or non-timber forest products. For those who reside on the outskirts of the places where the mission is carried out, it will also increase their chances of living a life based in the forest.

What is GIM?

One of the eight missions that make up India's action plan to combat climate change, known as the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), is the National Mission for a Green India (or, more popularly, the Green India Mission, or GIM).

• GIM, which was introduced at the start of February 2014, intends to protect, improve, and restore India's declining forest cover while also addressing climate change through a combination of mitigation and adaptation measures.

In the next ten years, the mission aims to increase the amount of forest cover by 5 million hectares while also enhancing the quality of the current forest and its coverage over the extra 5 million hectares of non-forested land.

Key Targets

The goals are to cover 5 million hectares (mha) with trees or other types of vegetation and to enhance the quality of the forest cover on an additional 5 million hectares of forests or other types of lands.

Sub-targets

• Open forests covering 3 million hectares that are being lost must be environmentally regenerated (ha).

• 0.10 Million hectares of wetlands are being restored.

• The ecological rehabilitation of shifting agricultural regions, mangroves, scrub, ravines, cold deserts, and abandoned mining zones spans 1.8 million hectares with numerous sub-targets.

• The surrounding areas of urban areas now contain 0.20 million hectares of forest.

• On marginal agricultural lands/fallows and other non-forest lands used for agro-forestry, an increase of 3 million hectares in forest and tree cover is desired.

• Increase the income of the 3 million households that rely on the forest for their way of life in and around these forest areas.

• It was suggested that carbon dioxide sequestration grow to between 50 and 60 million tonnes by 2020.

Implementation Agencies of GIM

It includes −

• The Ministry of Environment and Forests is responsible for implementation at the federal level.

• The State Forest Development Agency will oversee the state-level mission.The Forest Development Agency will carry out implementation at the district level.

• The primary organizations for organizing and carrying out actions at the village level are the gram sabha and several committees.

• Planning and implementation of the mission are facilitated in urban areas by ward-level groups like the Residents Welfare Association (RWA), which is connected to the municipality or Municipal Corporation.

• The possibility of training 1 lakh skilled local youngsters who will aid in neighborhood-based forest conservation They would serve as a link between the community and organizations that enforce policies, such as the forest department.

Goals of GIM

There are some important goals of GIM as given below,

• Improvement of the ecological services supplied by wetlands, degraded grasslands, and moderately dense, open forests, as well as by forests and other types of habitat (5 million hectares).

• Cleaning, moving Ecological restoration is required in agricultural areas, frigid deserts, mangrove swamps, ravines, and abandoned mining areas (1.8 million hectares).

• An increase in the number of trees and forests in peri-urban and urban areas (0.20 million hectares).

• Through agroforestry and social forestry, the forest and tree cover on marginal agricultural fields, follies, and other non-forest locations can be improved (3 m ha).

• Management of the public forests and non-forest areas by community organizations (undertaken by the Mission).

• Use of improved fuelwood efficiency and the adoption of innovative energy-saving technology by project area families.

• The three million households that reside in and around the woods need to diversify their sources of income.

Green India Mission in News

• The National Mission for a Green India (Green India Mission) was evaluated in 2020–21 by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, Government of India.

• The National India Mission was evaluated with regard to the scheme's relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, impacts, and equity.

• NITI Aayog has additionally advocated for the National Mission for a Green India program's continuation.

Conclusion

The Green India Mission's emphasis on landscapes—defined as significant, continuous stretches of both forested and un-forested land—offers a higher chance of achieving the objectives of both national and state forest policies. An integrated cross-sectoral approach would be applied to both public and private lands, and local communities and grassroots organizations would be involved in planning, decision-making, implementation, and monitoring. Furthermore, GIM would consider the national "de-greening" forces at work and pay special attention to measures that can halt it.

FAQs

Q1. What is the Green India Mission's main objective?

Ans. GIM, which was unveiled at the start of February 2014, intends to mitigate climate change through a combination of mitigation and adaptation while also maintaining, restoring, and expanding India's forest cover.

Q2. WHO launched the National Green India Mission?

Ans. One of the eight Missions included in the National Action Plan on Climate Change, the Prime Minister revealed, is the National Mission for a Green India (NAPCC).

Q3. What purpose does the Green India Mission serve?

Ans. India's lush vegetation is significant since it promotes the country's development and lessens air pollution. The air is purified under the lush forest canopy. Additionally, forests lessen the country's vulnerability to natural calamities. A significant portion of the land being covered by forests also helps to keep the ecosystem's balance.

Q4. Which nation has the greatest GDP in green?

Ans. According to the 2018 Global Green Economy Index, Sweden has the best performance (GGEI).

Q5. Which organization runs the National Green India Mission at the ward level in urban areas?

Ans. The primary organizations for organizing and carrying out actions at the village level are the Gram Sabha and numerous committees. Planning and implementation of the mission are facilitated in urban areas by ward-level committees like the Residents Welfare Association (RWA), which is connected to municipal corporations.