CAG Performance Audit of the Green India Mission

2 entries over 3 days, from 16 August 2026 to 18 August 2026.

01
16 August

CAG audit on Green India Mission

The Green India Mission (GIM) was launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as one of eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
Objectives of GIM include protecting, restoring, and enhancing forest cover, improving ecosystem services (biodiversity, water, carbon sequestration), and increasing forest-based livelihoods.
GIM is a key component of India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, aiming to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030.
CAG audit (2015-16 to 2024-25) across 16 States/UTs revealed significant shortfalls: 91.87% shortfall in improving forest quality and 97.57% shortfall in increasing forest cover against targets.
Identified implementation gaps include inadequate funding, weak inter-departmental convergence (e.g., CAMPA, MGNREGS), poor monitoring, and planning deficiencies.
Financial issues include a failure to secure proposed funding (only 47.88% of budgetary support received over 10 years) and poor financial controls, with many states failing to maintain or audit accounts.

02
18 August

CAG performance audit of Green India Mission (GIM) reveals significant underachievement against targets.
GIM target: improve forest quality over 1.4 million hectares; actual achievement: 0.11 million hectares.
GIM target: expand forest cover; actual achievement: 4% of the target.
GIM is one of eight pillars of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008).
GIM objective: create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes by 2030 under Paris Agreement commitments.
Lack of convergence between GIM and existing schemes like CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) and MGNREGA.
India State of Forest Report 2023: 1,445 sq km gain in green cover, with only 156 sq km classified as true forest; 1,289 sq km is tree cover outside recorded forests.
Trend observed: dense canopy within recorded forests is thinning into scrub.
Distinction highlighted between ecological restoration (biodiversity, water, habitat) and simple tree plantation drives.

Newest first. A story that ran for 3 days is exactly the kind the mains paper asks about as one question.

Discuss the challenges in achieving the objectives of the Green India Mission (GIM) in the context of India's climate change commitments under the Paris Agreement. 150 words · 18 August
Critically analyze the distinction between 'tree cover' and 'forest cover' in India's ecological restoration efforts. How can better convergence between existing institutional mechanisms like CAMPA and national missions improve the quality of forest ecosystems? 250 words · 18 August
The Green India Mission is critical for meeting India's climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. Discuss the challenges in achieving its objectives and suggest measures to improve the efficacy of such large-scale environmental interventions. 150 words · 16 August
Effective implementation of environmental programmes in India requires robust inter-departmental convergence and stringent financial monitoring. In light of recent audit findings regarding the Green India Mission, analyze the systemic bottlenecks in the execution of national-level ecological schemes. 250 words · 16 August

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