CAG finds Green India Mission's progress negligible after 10 years

Who it concerns: Union Government, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), and the Green India Mission (GIM) scheme.

What the auditor found

• CAG found that the planned convergence of funds from other schemes (CAMPA, MGNREGA, NAP) amounting to ₹10,600 crore was not achieved.
• Only ₹1,149.14 crore (47.88%) of the projected funding was received through budgetary support over 10 years (2015-16 to 2024-25).
• Afforestation interventions covered only 0.14793 million hectares against an approved target of 2.8 million hectares to be achieved by 2018.
• CAG noted that plantation activities were largely confined to low-vulnerability sites, while ecologically critical landscapes were largely ignored.
• Independent analysis by CAG using GPS and satellite data revealed little to no improvement in nearly 70% of the assessed locations.
• Recommendations include reassessing the feasibility of fund convergence, ensuring strict adherence to meeting frequencies for governing councils, and prioritizing vulnerable landscapes for afforestation.

Also in the document

• CAG reported that despite being the flagship afforestation program, the Mission's progress remained negligible a decade into implementation due to fundamental weaknesses in planning and execution.
• CAG found that the National Executive Council, constituted to ensure interdepartmental coordination, could not resolve issues hindering the convergence of funds and activities.
• CAG observed that the Ministry did not adequately leverage its dedicated GIS Cell and technological capabilities to assess outcomes or initiate mid-course corrections.