Revamped Green India Mission

Green India Mission (GIM)

About: 

1. The Green India Mission (GIM), also called the National Mission for a Green India, is one of the eight missions under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
2. This mission was launched to increase green cover, fight climate change, and protect nature. It started its activities in the financial year 2015–16.

Main Aims of the Mission:

1. Increase forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares of land.
2. Improve the quality of forests on another 5 million hectares of forest and non-forest land.
3. Help 3 million rural households by improving their income from forests and tree-based activities.
4. Protect and improve ecosystems like wetlands, mangroves, and forests.
5. Store more carbon, manage water better, and save biodiversity.

What Does the Mission Focus On?

1. GIM works on many natural areas to improve the environment:
   1. Forests
   2. Wetlands
   3. Mangroves
   4. Urban green spaces
   5. Farmlands with trees (Agroforestry)
2. It also helps to reduce the effects of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air through more green cover.

3. Five Sub-Missions Under GIM: To carry out its work, GIM has five small missions (called sub-missions), each with a different focus:
   1. Enhancing Forest Cover: Improving forest quality and helping nature services like clean air, water, and soil.
   2. Ecosystem Restoration: Rebuilding damaged forests and increasing green areas.
   3. Urban Greening: Planting more trees in cities and nearby towns to improve air and life quality.
   4. Agroforestry and Social Forestry: Planting trees on farms and community lands to give more wood, fruit, and income.
   5. Wetland Restoration: Protecting and reviving lakes, ponds, and marshy areas that are important for water and wildlife.

Challenges

Way Forward

1. Past focus on plantations, not full ecosystem restoration.

Adopt a landscape-based approach that restores full ecosystems, not just trees.

2. Local communities not fully involved in planning or execution.

Ensure people’s participation and provide livelihood benefits from forest activities.

3. Mission goals on income generation have remained only on paper.

Create real income opportunities through eco-tourism, NTFPs (Non-Timber Forest Products), etc.

4. Important expert recommendations (Gadgil & Kasturirangan reports) ignored.

Implement and enforce expert panel suggestions with political and public support.

5. Illegal mining and deforestation continue in sensitive areas like Aravallis and Western Ghats.

Take strict legal action and improve monitoring and transparency in eco-sensitive zones.

6. Climate change events (e.g. heavy rains, landslides) are increasing disaster risks.

Promote climate-resilient ecosystems and restore green buffers in fragile zones.

7. Development projects continue without environmental care.

Balance development with environmental safeguards through strict impact assessments.

Aravalli Range

1. Location:
   1. Stretches across Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and parts of Gujarat.
   2. One of the oldest fold mountain ranges in the world (formed in the Pre-Cambrian era, over 2.5 billion years ago).
       
2. Geographical Features:
   1. Runs southwest to northeast for about 700 km.
   2. Highest peak: Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
   3. Made of igneous and metamorphic rocks.
   4. Serves as a climate barrier, stopping the spread of the Thar Desert towards Delhi and NCR.
3. Ecological Importance:
   1. Contains dry deciduous forests and scrub vegetation.
   2. Important for groundwater recharge, biodiversity, and dust control in northern India.

Western Ghats

1. Location:
   1. Runs parallel to the western coast of India from Gujarat to Kerala through Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
   2. Also called the Sahyadri Hills.
       
2. Geographical Features:
   1. Length: Around 1,600 km.
   2. Highest peak: Anamudi (2,695 m) in Kerala.
   3. Older than the Himalayas, formed during the Mesozoic era.
   4. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
       
3. Ecological Importance:
   1. One of the eight “hotspots” of biodiversity in the world.
   2. Home to tropical evergreen forests, many endemic species, and major river sources (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri).
   3. Influences the southwest monsoon and plays a key role in water security

Himalayan Region

1. Location:
   1. Stretches across northern India, from Jammu & Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.
   2. Also spans countries like Nepal, Bhutan, and China.
       
2. Geographical Features:
   1. Youngest and tallest mountain range in the world.
   2. Formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
       
3. Divided into three parallel ranges:
   1. Greater Himalayas (Himadri) – Contains highest peaks (e.g., Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga).
   2. Lesser Himalayas (Himachal): Includes valleys like Kullu, Kangra.
   3. Shiwaliks – Outer Himalayas, formed from recent deposits.
       
4. Ecological Importance:
   1. Source of major rivers like Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus.
   2. Rich in biodiversity and forests.
   3. Crucial for climate regulation, water security, and agriculture in northern India.

Ensure IAS Mains Question:

Q. Critically examine the revised Green India Mission. How can it help restore fragile landscapes like the Aravalli Range, Western Ghats, and the Himalayas? (250 Words)

Ensure IAS Prelim MCQs

Q1. With reference to the Green India Mission (GIM), consider the following statements:

1. It is one of the eight missions under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
2. The mission aims only at increasing forest cover through plantations.
3. GIM supports the restoration of wetlands and mangroves.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(A) 1 and 3 only
 (B) 1 and 2 only
 (C) 2 and 3 only
 (D) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: GIM is indeed one of the eight missions under NAPCC.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The revised GIM aims for full ecosystem restoration, not just plantations.
• Statement 3 is correct: The mission includes wetlands and mangroves under its restoration focus.