SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has brought 1,778 hectares of degraded forest and non-forest land under eco-restoration through activities under the Green India Mission (GIM) since 2015-16, the Union Government informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The figure places JK among the 17 States and one Union Territory covered under the mission, which has brought a total of 1,84,467 hectares under eco-restoration across the country since its launch.
According to State-wise data provided by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, JK accounted for 1,778 hectares of plantation and eco-restoration under GIM, while Maharashtra recorded 5,223 hectares.
The largest area brought under restoration was reported in Madhya Pradesh at 32,831 hectares, followed by Chhattisgarh at 22,601 hectares, Odisha at 20,711 hectares, Mizoram at 19,643 hectares and Manipur at 17,488 hectares.
The Green India Mission, one of the nine missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, has been operational since 2015-16 with the objective of restoring degraded forest and non-forest landscapes through an integrated landscape approach.
The Centre said Rs 57.08 crore had been allocated under GIM during 2026-27 so far to seven States — Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh. JK was not among the States listed for allocation under GIM during the current financial year.
The Government is also implementing the Nagar Van Yojana for the development of 600 Nagar Vans and 400 Nagar Vatikas during 2020-21 to 2026-27, aimed at enhancing urban green cover and creating ecological assets with potential benefits for air quality and the urban micro-climate.
The Ministry said plantation and maintenance activities under GIM are carried out through local institutions, including Joint Forest Management Committees, Village Forest Committees and other community-based organisations. Local communities and Self-Help Groups are also engaged, wherever provided for under approved activities, particularly in plantation maintenance, nursery raising and allied livelihood activities.
On monitoring, the Centre said the mission follows a multi-tiered mechanism involving Central and State agencies. Technology-enabled monitoring includes geo-tagging of plantation sites, GIS-based mapping, geo-tagged photographs and KML files, while State Forest Departments undertake periodic field inspections and third-party monitoring.
The Ministry said drone-based monitoring, wherever undertaken by States, could supplement field verification. The Forest Survey of India also carries out biennial forest-cover assessments using remote sensing supported by ground verification.
