“To achieve the targets mentioned in the National Forest Policy to maintain 33% forest and tree cover in the country the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is implementing two major afforestation/tree plantation schemes i.e. National Afforestation Programme (NAP) scheme and National Mission for a Green India (GIM). 

While NAP is being implemented for afforestation of degraded forest lands, GIM aims at improving the quality of forest/increase in forest cover, besides cross-sectoral activities on landscape basis. An area of about 21 lakh ha has been approved for new afforestation with an investment of around Rs. 3700 crore under NAP since inception in 2000, till 2016-17. Under GIM an amount of Rs.174 crore has been released since 2011-12 to 2016-17 for preparatory and perspective plan. 

The fund under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), interalia, is also used in plantation activity including compensatory afforestation to give a massive thrust to afforestation activity in the country. 

Afforestation/Tree plantation targets in the country under Item No.51 (a) (Area Covered under Public and Forest Lands) and 51 (b) (No. of Seedlings Planted) of Twenty Point Programme (TPP) is fixed by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) annually to States/UTs in consultation with them. An area of 1.46 lakh ha. under Item 51(a) and 9460.49 lakh seedlings to be planted under 51(b) have been fixed as total targets for the year 2017-18. 

Tree Plantation/afforestation activities are taken up cross-sectorally by various departments, NGOs, civil society, corporate etc. under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and also under different State Plan/Non Plan Schemes including externally aided projects involving large-scale participation of people and other social organizations.” 

This information was given by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. 
 

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