Lok Sabha Question No. 3793 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Green Gross Domestic Product
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Smt. Roopkumari Choudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3793

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## Green Gross Domestic Product

## 3793. SMT. ROOPKUMARI CHOUDHARY:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the special efforts being made by the Government to sustain and further increase the forest cover;
- (b) the present status of the economic assessment of forest ecosystem services under the Green-Gross Domestic Product (Green-GDP) initiative and the manner in which it is being incorporated into State economic plans;
- (c) the progress of implementation of the eco-restoration policy and the benefits achieved so far in the promotion of forests and biodiversity conservation; and
- (d) the  future  plans  for  the  conservation  of  the  Devgudi  sites  and  the  manner  in  which local communities are benefiting from the conservation of these sites?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) The Government of India has formulated adequate legal and regulatory frameworks at national and state levels which regulate the protection, conservation and management of the forests of the country, though protection and management of forests is primarily the  responsibility  of  the  State  Governments. The  major  central  level  policy  and legislations  concerning  the  management  and  conservation  of  forests  include  the National Forest Policy, 1988, Indian Forest Act, 1927, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980, and Biological  Diversity  Act, 2002,  etc.  To  bring  more  areas  under  green  cover,  the  Government  is  implementing various schemes such as such as National Mission for a Green India (GIM), Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) and Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline  Habitats  &  Tangible  Incomes (MISHTI). The  schemes  primarily  support ecological restoration through afforestation in and outside forest areas, forest landscape restoration, habitat improvement, soil and water conservation measures and protection etc.  In  addition  to  these  the  voluntary  tree  plantation  campaign ' Ek  Ped  Maa  Ke Naam' was  launched  by  Hon'ble  Prime  Minister  on  5th  June  2024  to  undertake plantation activities across the country.
- (b) To help the development of environmental- economic accounts, a high- level Expert Group  was  constituted  by  Ministry  of  Statistics  and  Programme  Implementation

(MoSPI)  in  2011  with  the  mandate  of  developing  a  framework  for  Green  National Accounts of India and preparing a roadmap to implement the framework. The Expert Group  recommended  compilation  of  the accounts envisaged  in the  System  of Environmental-  Economic  Accounting  (SEEA)  which  is  an  internationally  agreed framework  for  the  compilation  of  the  Environment  Accounts.  In  accordance  to  the recommendations  of  the  Experts  Group,  since  2018,  MoSPI  compiles  environment accounts for various ecosystems following the SEEA framework after due consultation from the Inter-Ministerial Group on Environmental -Economic Accounting- India. As regards the Forest  ecosystem  information  on  its  extents,  condition  and  the  services provided, the same are published in the 'EnviStats India: Environment Accounts', by MoSPI with  the  seventh consecutive  issue  of  the  publication  'EnviStats  India  2024: Environment Accounts' having been released on 30 September 2024.

- (c) The  Government  has  been  undertaking  a  number  of  steps  to  increase  forest  cover, reduce emissions, combat land degradation, restore ecosystems and enrich biodiversity as  part  of  its  holistic  approach  to  conservation.  The  specific  measures  taken  include incorporation  of  mitigation  and  adapation  strategies  under  several  flagship  Urban Missions/ Schemes of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) viz. Swachh Bharat Mission -Urban  (SBM-U),  Atal  Mission for Rejuvenation and  Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Pradhan Mantri AwasYojana -  Urban  (PMAY-U) and Metro  Rail  Projects.  The  Amrit  Dharohar  scheme  has  been announced to encourage optimal use of wetlands, to enhance bio-diversity and carbon stock and create eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for local communities. Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats &  Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) is being undertaken through National Coastal Mission (NCM)  for restoration  of  degraded  mangrove  areas,  protection  of  shorelines  and  as  a  climate mitigation and adaptation measure.  Besides the above, the Government has also taken several initiatives  for  protection  of  biodiversity  and  environmental  conservation through formulation and implementation of National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) which outlines eight missions viz., National Solar Mission, National Mission on  Sustainable  Habitat,  National  Mission  for  Enhanced  Energy  Efficiency,  National Water  Mission,  National  Mission  for  Sustaining  Himalayan  Ecosystem,  Green  India Mission,  National  Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture  and  National  Mission  on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change.   Besides,  National Plan for conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA); Biosphere Reserve; Watershed Development Project in Shifting  Cultivation  Areas;  Water  Resources  programme  for  Repair,  Renovation  & Restoration  of  Water  bodies;  Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund  Management  and Planning Authority (CAMPA). Further, Programmes like the National Green Hydrogen Mission, National Clean  Air  Programme  (NCAP),  Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  Urja Suraksha  evam  Utthan  Mahabhiyan  (PM-KUSUM),  PM  Surya  Ghar:  Muft  Bijli Yojana  are also being  implemented  for reducing emissions and  environmental conservation.
- (d) Devgudis, play a vital  role  in  the lives  of  tribal  communities as  centres  of faith  and living traditions. The State Government of Chhattisgarh has allotted Rs. 420.00 lakhs for construction and upgradation of  187 Devgudis for the FY 2024-25.