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The first phase of the Rs 46,000-crore Green India Mission project to increase forest cover is likely to be cleared by the cabinet on Thursday. The usage of funds by states would be monitored by a third-party group.
Petroleum Minister Veerapa Moily on Wednesday said the Cabinet may clear Rs 14,000 crore for the first phase during the 12th Plan period. The ministry was also looking for operational convergence of the projects with other schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Rural Guarantee Scheme and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority.
“The Cabinet would take a call on this tomorrow and may clear the first phase. We will be spending Rs 46,000 crore for the gradual increase of forest year by year,” he said.
The National Mission for a Green India is one of the eight missions under “the National Action Plan on Climate Change” that aims to increase forest and tree cover on 5 million hectare area, improve quality of forest cover or create new forest area on another 5 million ha by 2020. The government has identified about 71 clusters across 21 states for the project.
The proposal seeks convergence worth Rs 4,000 crore with MNREGA, Rs 6,000 crore from CAMPA. The Planning Commission has already provided an outlay of Rs 2,000 crore for the 12th plan. The mission got Rs 200 crore in 2012-13 from the National Clean Energy Fund for preparatory activities.
Meanwhile, introduction of a third party expert group comes at a time when a parliamentary panel expressed concern about the implementation of Rs 3044 crore National Afforestation Programme (NAP). The mission was struggling with a meager Rs 100 crore Budgetary support in 2011-12. Till now, about Rs 49.95 crore was released to 21 states for carrying out preparatory activities in the identified landscapes under the Green India Mission.
