Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Tree planting · India · 2015–2026

India's National Mission for a Green India (Green India Mission), 2015 to 2026

Nature's voice · report
130 billion rupees, as reported by Mongabay-India from the CAG audit 130 billion rupees were budgeted in my name. What was measured is below what was promised.
Did nature suffer? Not measured. Accounts differ ↓
What the record lacks: 1 none on record · 2 not measured · 3 disputed · 1 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
How much of the mission's area targets has been achieved
  • Government and regulators Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Lok Sabha reply, August 2026): Over 1.84 lakh hectares under eco-restoration in 17 states and one Union Territory since 2015-16. Telangana Today
  • Government and regulators Comptroller and Auditor General of India (2026), as reported by Mongabay-India: Afforestation of approximately 0.15 million hectares against 2.8 million; a 97.57% shortfall on ecosystem restoration; nearly 70% of assessed locations with little to no improvement. Mongabay-India
  • Press and investigations The Hindu editorial summary (via Vision IAS, 18 August 2026): The mission aimed to improve forest quality on 1.4 million hectares but covered 0.11 million hectares. Vision IAS, summarising The Hindu

A mission under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change to protect, restore and enhance forest cover. Parliamentary committees reported low fund use (55 per cent, 2023; 28 per cent, 2025-26 revised estimates), and the Comptroller and Auditor General's 2026 audit, as reported by Mongabay-India, found afforestation on about 0.15 million hectares against a 2.8 million hectare target.

about 0.15 million hectaresAfforestation covered against the 2.8 million hectare target, Comptroller and Auditor General audit of 2015-16 to 2024-25
As reported by Mongabay-India on 24 August 2026; the audit report (Report No. 4 of 2026) was submitted to Parliament on 12 August 2026 and was not itself read. The audit also reported a 97.57% shortfall on a 1.4 million hectare ecosystem restoration target.

Status As of August 2026: the CAG audit submitted on 12 August 2026 reports afforestation of about 0.15 million hectares against a 2.8 million hectare target; the Ministry reports over 1.84 lakh hectares under eco-restoration; no Ministry response to the audit is on record.

What?
A national mission to plant and restore forest cover in degraded, vulnerable landscapes, run since 2015 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. PRS Legislative Research
Where?
17 States and one Union Territory received releases; the CAG audit covered 15 states and one Union Territory. Mongabay-India
When?
Implementation from 2015-16; CAG audit period 2015-16 to 2024-25; audit submitted to Parliament 12 August 2026. Mongabay-India
Who?
Gained
  • State forest departments and local forest institutions — Received central releases: 944.48 crore rupees to 17 states and one Union Territory as of 2024-25 (Ministry figure via IMPRI) IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute
Lost
None on record
Harmed
  • Ecologically vulnerable landscapes: grasslands, ravines, scrub forests and abandoned mines — Largely left out of plantation activity; 2.11 million hectares of scrublands in eight states had no targets (CAG, as reported by Mongabay-India) Mongabay-India
Why?
To protect, restore and enhance India's forest cover and tackle climate change (PRS). PRS Legislative Research
How?
Central funds released to states for plantation and eco-restoration, implemented through Joint Forest Management Committees and Village Forest Committees, with convergence funding proposed from MGNREGA and compensatory afforestation. Telangana Today
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

The National Mission for a Green India is one of the missions under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change, implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). PRS Legislative Research describes it as aiming "to protect, restore, and enhance India's forest cover and tackle climate change by undertaking plantation activities in the forest and non-forest areas in selected degraded, vulnerable landscapes". Down To Earth reported in February 2019, from a parliamentary committee report, that the mission was proposed for 10 years with an outlay of Rs 60,000 crore, was meant to launch with the 12th Five-Year Plan in 2012 but was delayed by financial issues until 2015, and had targets of increasing green cover over 5 million hectares and improving the quality of existing cover on another 5 million hectares.

The committee report reviewed by Down To Earth found that Rs 47.8 crore was allocated for 2017-18, "grossly insufficient as the committed liability for 2015-16 and 2016-17 is Rs 89.53 crore", that afforestation until 2016-17 covered 51,387 hectares, and that in 2015-16 and 2016-17 the mission targeted 67,956 hectares and achieved 44,749, a 34% shortfall. It criticised planting eucalyptus and other unsuitable species. A parliamentary standing committee on the Demands for Grants (2023-24), reported by The Tribune on 16 March 2023, wrote that "the utilisation of funds has been grossly suboptimal at 27 per cent and 55 per cent, respectively", for the Climate Change Action Plan and the National Mission for Green India. PRS reported on 11 February 2026 that the mission "has consistently seen underutilisation of funds since 2020-21", that only 28% of the allocated budget had been utilised under the 2025-26 revised estimates, and that Rs 170 crore was allocated for 2026-27. The Rajya Sabha committee's 405th report (presented 13 March 2026), as summarised by The Policy Edge, flagged underutilisation and attributed delays to "procedural and administrative" bottlenecks.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) submitted a performance audit of the mission to Parliament on 12 August 2026, covering 15 states and one Union Territory over 2015-16 to 2024-25, as reported by Mongabay-India on 24 August 2026. According to that report, the initial central allocation was 130 billion rupees, proposed convergence funding was up to 40 billion rupees (MGNREGA), 6 billion (National Afforestation Policy) and 60 billion (compensatory afforestation), and actual direct central contributions over the 10-year audit period were 11.49 billion rupees. Afforestation was targeted on 2.8 million hectares by 2018 and covered approximately 0.15 million hectares, about 5% of the goal; ecosystem restoration was targeted on 1.4 million hectares, with a 97.57% shortfall at CAG site inspections; 2.11 million hectares of scrublands in eight states had no targets; and nearly 70% of assessed locations showed little to no improvement. The audit found "fundamental weaknesses in planning and design as well as deficiencies in execution and monitoring".

Mongabay-India also reported that 91 million rupees released to the Kolasib forest district authority in Mizoram was withdrawn in cash "with no documentary evidence of its use" for afforestation, that in Uttarakhand's Chakrata division 2,000 plantations were reported at a site where 30 to 40 saplings were found, none surviving, that in Odisha plantations were carried out in forests with 40-70% canopy density, and that only Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh conducted carbon sequestration assessments between 2015 and 2025. The Ministry's own figures differ: IMPRI, citing a 2024 PIB release, reported 944.48 crore rupees disbursed to 17 states and one Union Territory and 1,55,130 hectares under plantation and eco-restoration as of 2024-25, and on 10 August 2026 the Minister of State for Environment told the Lok Sabha that over 1.84 lakh hectares were under eco-restoration since 2015-16. No Ministry response to the audit appears in the sources reviewed.

  1. 2008National Action Plan on Climate Change adopted; the mission is one of its missions (PRS)
  2. 2015Mission begins implementation after delay from the 12th Five-Year Plan (Down To Earth)
  3. 2019Parliamentary committee report on the NAPCC reports funding 'grossly insufficient' and targets missed by 34% (Down To Earth, 19 February)
  4. 2023Parliamentary standing committee reports fund utilisation of 55 per cent (March)
  5. 2026PRS analysis (11 February); Rajya Sabha committee 405th report presented (13 March); CAG audit submitted to Parliament (12 August); Lok Sabha reply on 1.84 lakh hectares (10 August)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“fundamental weaknesses in planning and design as well as deficiencies in execution and monitoring”

Comptroller and Auditor General of India, audit of the Green India Mission, as quoted by Mongabay-India · 12 August 2026 · Mongabay-India

“the utilisation of funds has been grossly suboptimal at 27 per cent and 55 per cent, respectively.”

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Demands for Grants (2023-24), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, as quoted by The Tribune · March 2023 · The Tribune

“grossly insufficient as the committed liability for 2015-16 and 2016-17 is Rs 89.53 crore”

Parliamentary committee report on the National Action Plan on Climate Change, as quoted by Down To Earth · reported 19 February 2019 · Down To Earth

“has consistently seen underutilisation of funds since 2020-21”

“The implementation of plantation and maintenance activities under the GIM is undertaken through local institutions”

Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for Environment, written Lok Sabha reply, as quoted by PTI · 10 August 2026 · Telangana Today

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

How much of the mission's area targets has been achieved
Government and regulators
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Lok Sabha reply, August 2026)

Over 1.84 lakh hectares under eco-restoration in 17 states and one Union Territory since 2015-16.

Telangana Today
Government and regulators
Comptroller and Auditor General of India (2026), as reported by Mongabay-India

Afforestation of approximately 0.15 million hectares against 2.8 million; a 97.57% shortfall on ecosystem restoration; nearly 70% of assessed locations with little to no improvement.

Mongabay-India
Press and investigations
The Hindu editorial summary (via Vision IAS, 18 August 2026)

The mission aimed to improve forest quality on 1.4 million hectares but covered 0.11 million hectares.

Vision IAS, summarising The Hindu
How much of the mission's funds were used
Government and regulators
Parliamentary Standing Committee (2023)

Utilisation under the National Mission for Green India was 55 per cent and 'grossly suboptimal'.

The Tribune
Researchers
PRS Legislative Research (2026)

Only 28% of the allocated budget had been utilised under the 2025-26 revised estimates, with underutilisation since 2020-21.

PRS Legislative Research
Government and regulators
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, citing PIB 2024 (via IMPRI)

944.48 crore rupees disbursed to 17 states and one Union Territory.

IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • Mission described as aiming to protect, restore and enhance India's forest cover and tackle climate change through plantation in selected degraded, vulnerable landscapes.
    PRS Legislative Research, describing the mission · PRS Legislative Research
  • More than 1.84 lakh hectares under eco-restoration in 17 states and one Union Territory since 2015-16.
    Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for Environment, Lok Sabha reply reported by PTI · Telangana Today
  • 944.48 crore rupees disbursed to 17 states and one Union Territory and 1,55,130 hectares under plantation and eco-restoration as of 2024-25.
    Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, citing a 2024 PIB release, as reported by IMPRI · IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute

Recorded

  • CAG performance audit (submitted 12 August 2026), as reported by Mongabay-India: afforestation about 0.15 million hectares of a 2.8 million hectare target; 97.57% shortfall on ecosystem restoration; nearly 70% of assessed locations with little to no improvement.
    Mongabay-India
  • Parliamentary committee (2023): fund utilisation 55 per cent for the National Mission for Green India. PRS (2026): 28% of the allocated budget utilised under the 2025-26 revised estimates.
    The Tribune
  • Parliamentary committee (reported February 2019): targeted 67,956 hectares and achieved 44,749 hectares in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
    Down To Earth
  • CAG, as reported: 11.49 billion rupees of actual direct central contributions over the 10-year audit period against an initial central allocation of 130 billion rupees.
    Mongabay-India
  • No Ministry response to the CAG audit appears in the sources reviewed.

In nature's name

What was promised in nature's name, the money that moved, and what was measured.

Promised

  • “to protect, restore, and enhance India's forest cover and tackle climate change by undertaking plantation activities in the forest and non-forest areas in selected degraded, vulnerable landscapes” — PRS Legislative Research, describing the National Mission for a Green India (11 February 2026) PRS Legislative Research

Money moved in nature's name

WhatKindAmountPeriod
Initial central allocation
Government of India
Mongabay-India		Budget130bn INR2015-2025
Proposed outlay over 10 years
Government of India
Down To Earth		Budget600bn INR10 years from 2015
Proposed convergence funding from MGNREGA
Government of India
Mongabay-India		Pledged40bn INR2015-2025
Proposed convergence funding from the National Afforestation Policy
Government of India
Mongabay-India		Pledged6bn INR2015-2025
Proposed convergence funding from compensatory afforestation
Government of India
Mongabay-India		Pledged60bn INR2015-2025
Actual direct central contributions over the audit period
Government of India
Mongabay-India		Paid out11.5bn INR2015-16 to 2024-25
Disbursed to 17 states and one Union Territory for plantation, eco-restoration and livelihood work
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute		Paid out9.4bn INRto 2024-25
Allocation for the mission
Government of India
Down To Earth		Budget478m INR2017-18
Allocation for the mission
Government of India
PRS Legislative Research		Budget1.7bn INR2026-27
Allocated so far in FY2026-27 to seven states
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Telangana Today		Budget571m INR2026-27

What was measured

Measured below the promise

The Comptroller and Auditor General's site inspections, as reported by Mongabay-India, measured afforestation of about 0.15 million hectares against a 2.8 million hectare target and a 97.57% shortfall on a 1.4 million hectare ecosystem restoration target, with nearly 70% of assessed locations showing little to no improvement. The audit report itself was not read. The Ministry's own figures (over 1.84 lakh hectares of eco-restoration) are the implementer's and are not independent.

Afforestation against target
about 0.15 million ha of 2.8 million ha
CAG audit 2015-16 to 2024-25, as reported by Mongabay-India Mongabay-India
Ecosystem restoration against target
97.57% shortfall on 1.4 million ha
CAG site inspections, as reported by Mongabay-India Mongabay-India
Assessed locations with little to no improvement
nearly 70%
CAG audit, as reported by Mongabay-India Mongabay-India
Targets missed in 2015-16 and 2016-17
34%
Parliamentary committee report via Down To Earth; 44,749 ha achieved of 67,956 ha targeted Down To Earth

Operation Ongoing · Funds were allocated for 2026-27 to seven states. Telangana Today

Findings on record

  • Official audit Comptroller and Auditor General of India, as reported by Mongabay-India (2026-08-12) · Report No. 4 of 2026, performance audit of the Green India Mission (report not read): “fundamental weaknesses in planning and design as well as deficiencies in execution and monitoring” Mongabay-India
  • Official audit Parliamentary Standing Committee on Demands for Grants (2023-24), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (2023-03) · Report tabled in Rajya Sabha, March 2023, as reported by The Tribune: “the utilisation of funds has been grossly suboptimal at 27 per cent and 55 per cent, respectively.” The Tribune
  • Official audit Parliamentary committee on the National Action Plan on Climate Change · Performance of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) pertaining to Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, as reported by Down To Earth on 19 February 2019: “grossly insufficient as the committed liability for 2015-16 and 2016-17 is Rs 89.53 crore” Down To Earth

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: INR · Window: 2015-2026. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (10 August 2026): Through the Minister of State for Environment, told the Lok Sabha that over 1.84 lakh hectares were under eco-restoration in 17 states and one Union Territory since 2015-16 and that Rs 57.08 crore had been allocated so far in FY2026-27 to seven states. · Telangana Today
  • Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: No response to the CAG audit appears in the sources reviewed.
  • Comptroller and Auditor General of India (12 August 2026): Submitted its performance audit of the Green India Mission to Parliament, reporting fundamental weaknesses in planning, design, execution and monitoring. · Mongabay-India

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Afforestation against target, CAG audit 2015-16 to 2024-25
about 0.15 million ha of 2.8 million ha
Mongabay-India reporting the CAG audit
Ecosystem restoration against target
97.57% shortfall on 1.4 million ha
CAG site inspections, as reported by Mongabay-India
Assessed locations with little to no improvement
nearly 70%
Mongabay-India reporting the CAG audit
Fund utilisation, 2023 committee report
55 per cent
Parliamentary Standing Committee, as reported by The Tribune

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Official audit findingKey earnings undisclosed

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
  • Disputed How much of the mission's area targets has been achieved

Accounts

  • Disputed How much of the mission's funds were used

Record

  • None on record None on record: the Ministry's response to the CAG audit in the sources reviewed; the Mongabay-India and The Hindu summaries carry none.
  • Unclear Unclear: the mission's budget. Down To Earth reported a proposed outlay of Rs 60,000 crore over 10 years (2019); Mongabay-India reports an initial central allocation of 130 billion rupees (CAG, 2026); the sources reviewed do not reconcile the two.
  • Disputed Unclear: area achieved against forest-quality targets. Mongabay-India reports a 97.57% shortfall on 1.4 million hectares of ecosystem restoration; a Hindu editorial summary reports 0.11 million hectares covered against 1.4 million hectares; the Ministry reports over 1.84 lakh hectares of eco-restoration since 2015-16. The measures differ and are not reconciled.
  • Not measured Not measured: carbon sequestration at mission sites; the audit reports that only Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh among the assessed states conducted carbon sequestration assessments between 2015 and 2025.

Did the harm stop?

Who paid?

The Government of India's central budget: Rs 47.8 crore allocated for 2017-18, Rs 170 crore for 2026-27, 944.48 crore rupees disbursed to states as of 2024-25 (IMPRI citing PIB), and 11.49 billion rupees of direct central contributions over the audit period (CAG, as reported). The proposed 40, 6 and 60 billion rupees of convergence funding was largely not realised according to Mongabay-India's report of the audit.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project✓ Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

Government and regulators

Press and investigations

Communities and civil society

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Science and environment

Hectare (ha)
A unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres, about 2.5 acres. 100 hectares make one square kilometre.

Insurance

Premium
The price paid for an insurance policy.
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