General Studies-2; Topic: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
Introduction
- The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) tabled a performance audit of the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) covering the period from 2015–16 to 2024–25 across 16 States and Union Territories.
- Launched in 2014, GIM is one of the eight core missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The Core Mandate includes Increase Forest and tree cover, restore degraded forest landscapes, enhance biodiversity, build an additional carbon sink under the Paris Agreement, and improve forest-based livelihood opportunities.
About Green India Mission (GIM) and the CAG Audit
- Launched under NAPCC to expand forests and carbon sinks, GIM achieved only 8% of its quality target with a 98% afforestation shortfall, cited by CAG for poor funding, convergence, and monitoring.
Key CAG Audit Findings
- Significant Quality Deficit:
- Against a target of improving forest quality across 1.4 million hectares (Mha), GIM achieved only 0.11 Mha (approx. 8% of the goal).
- Afforestation Shortfall:
- A 98% shortfall was recorded in expanding overall forest cover during the audit window.
- Flawed Ecological Prioritization:
- High-risk, climate-vulnerable zones were bypassed; low- and moderate-vulnerability areas were prioritized without clear scientific rationale.
- Governance Silos:
- The mission operated in isolation, lacking functional convergence with other afforestation vehicles like CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) and MGNREGS.
- Weak Financial and Accounting Controls:
- Several state implementing agencies failed to maintain annual accounts; existing records suffered from unverified entries and auditing gaps.
- Deficient Monitoring:
- Absence of unified annual plantation targets, real-time tracking of sapling survival rates, and field-level verification mechanisms.
Multi-Dimensional Analysis
- Institutional & Governance Dimension
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- Fragmented Efforts: Initiatives like Nagar Van Yojana and School Nursery Yojana progressed disjointedly rather than as part of a landscape-level strategy.
- Administrative Inertia: State Forest Departments struggled with bureaucratic inertia, inadequate field staffing, and delayed Annual Plans of Operation (APOs).
- Financial & Fiscal Dimension
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- Budgetary Gaps: GIM suffered from chronic gaps between originally projected financial requirements and actual budget outlays.
- State-Level Tracking: Delays in fund transmission from State treasuries to field implementing units stalled critical pre-plantation nursery preparation.
- Ecological & Scientific Dimension
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- Quantity vs. Quality: Historic afforestation drives focus on raw sapling counts over native biodiversity, soil-microclimate suitability, or multi-tier canopy architecture.
- Survival Rate Neglect: Without dedicated maintenance protocols across 3–5 year life-cycles, sapling mortality remains high.
- Social & Community Dimension
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- Token Community Participation: Limited institutionalization of Gram Sabhas and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) weakened local stewardship.
- Forest-Livelihood Disconnect: Livelihood security goals remained secondary, reducing community motivation to safeguard protected plots.
- Geopolitical & Climate Dimension
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- NDC Targets: Sub-optimal execution poses hurdles for India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement (creating a cumulative carbon sink of 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes of by 2030).
Structural Headwinds
While the CAG audit underscores serious implementation deficits, several structural constraints faced by implementing agencies must also be considered:
- Severe Land Constraints:
- High population density, infrastructure demands, and competitive agrarian land-use make acquiring continuous land parcels for afforestation difficult.
- Climate & Biotic Stress:
- Prolonged heatwaves, unpredictable rainfall anomalies, and human-wildlife conflicts impact sapling survival rates despite field efforts.
- Federal Variations:
- State capacities differ widely in terms of forest frontline personnel, nursery automation, and digital monitoring capabilities.
Way Forward
- Institutionalize Inter-Scheme Convergence:
- Form a single-window coordination council at the state level to align GIM priorities with CAMPA outlays and MGNREGS wage components.
- Scientific Vulnerability Mapping:
- Direct at least 70% of available capital toward eco-sensitive zones, degraded catchment areas, and arid buffers using ISRO’s climate-vulnerability atlases.
- Incentivize Survival Over Plantation:
- Redesign performance indicators for forest divisions based on verifiable canopy growth and sapling survival at year 3 and year 5, rather than initial saplings planted.
- Digital Audit Systems:
- Mandate high-resolution satellite imagery verification, geotagged plantation tracking, and open-access public dashboards.
- Empower Grassroots Governance:
- Transfer planning powers and survival-linked direct benefit transfers (DBT) to Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) and Forest Rights Act (FRA) community bodies.
Conclusion
- The CAG report provides an empirical blueprint for institutional course correction. By shifting focus from symbolic plantation numbers to transparent, community-led, and scientifically tracked ecosystem restoration, India can revitalize GIM and fulfill its sustainable development and climate goals.
