TN yet to submit revised plan, fails to get Green India Mission funds

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is yet to receive funds from the central government under the Green India Mission, nine years after its launch by the Centre in 2014.

According to Central government data, 17 states have received a total of Rs 612.19 crore to implement the Green India Mission between 2015-2016 and 2021-2022. Among the states, Mizoram has received Rs. 102.81 crore, which is the highest. It may be noted that all three neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh have received funds under the Mission.

Meanwhile, while responding to a question raised by Rajya Sabha member MM Abdulla, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey responded that the funds will be released when the state submits a revised Perspective Plan under the Mission as asked by the Ministry. He said the state earlier submitted a Perspective Plan to the Ministry under Green India Mission. The Ministry had recommunicated detailed observations on the plan and had requested the State Forest Department to incorporate the same and submit the revised Perspective Plan.

However, sources in the department clarified that they are yet to submit it. Funds will be released only after the state submits the Perspective Plan.

Green India Mission, one of the eight missions outlined under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), aims at protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s forest cover and responding to Climate Change through afforestation activities in the selected vulnerable landscapes by considering the soil, weather and other ecological conditions. Under the mission, more than 16.54 saplings have been planted.

The state has launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission in 2022 to plant 260 crore seedlings across the state in 10 years to achieve 33 per cent forest cover.

To implement the mission, the government has set up 360 nurseries and raised 2.8 crore seedlings to date. Apart from this, the state also has Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission, and Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission, which aims to protect the environment and mitigate climate change.