Lok Sabha Question No. 2403 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Blue Carbon Project
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Thiru Dr. S Jagathratchakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2403 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Blue Carbon Project

## 2403.  SHRI S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:

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

- (a)   the details regarding the total number of blue carbon ecosystem restoration projects under the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Coastal Restoration programmes during the years 2023-24 and 2024-25, State and project-wise;
- (b)  the quantum of Union Government funding allocated specifically for mangrove restoration in  Gulf  of  Mannar,  Marine  National  Park  and  Pichavaram  wetlands  under  the  Nationally Determined Contributions framework;
- (c) the technical assistance provided by the Government  for developing carbon credit mechanisms  from  Tamil  Nadu's  coastal  restoration initiatives and revenue potential assessed; and
- (d)  the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge from Tamil Nadu fishing communities in the Government's blue carbon project guidelines and implementation frameworks?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) Blue  carbon  ecosystems  such  as  mangroves,  seagrass  meadows,  and  salt  marshes  are coastal and marine habitats that naturally capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As informed by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Namami Gange Programme (National Mission for Clean Ganga - NMCG) is a comprehensive river rejuvenation initiative. While it mainly focuses on sewage treatment, riverfront development, afforestation, wetland and biodiversity conservation, and public awareness, some of which indirectly support blue carbon sequestration. Under this programme, scientific afforestation along the Ganga has been undertaken based on a Detailed Project Report (DPR) by the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun. Since 2016-17, NMCG has funded State Forest Departments of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal for plantations along the river. So far, a total of 33,024 hectares of plantation has been carried out under the programme. Details are as follows:

| State wise plantation data (Year 2016-17 to 2022-23)   | State wise plantation data (Year 2016-17 to 2022-23)   |
|--------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
| State                                                  | Achievement (Area in ha.)                              |
| Uttarakhand                                            | 12306                                                  |
| Uttar Pradesh                                          | 9166                                                   |

| Bihar       |   8554 |
|-------------|--------|
| Jharkhand   |    884 |
| West Bengal |   2115 |
| Total       |  33024 |

(b) India's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement do not specifically  mention  "blue  carbon  ecosystems"  as  a  separate  target.  However,  they  emphasize increasing forest and tree cover to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2030. While not directly stated, the protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes support India's broader climate goals of mitigation and adaptation.

The Ministry has sanctioned a total amount of ₹ 220.43 lakhs to the State of Tamil  Nadu for mangrove restoration  activities,  including  those  at  Pichavaram,  during  the  period  from  20172018 to 2022-2023, under the 'Conservation and Management of Mangroves and Coral Reefs' component of the National Coastal Mission.

Recently,  to  promote  mangrove  conservation,  the  Union  Budget  2023-24  announced  the Mangrove  Initiative  for  Shoreline  Habitats  &  Tangible  Incomes  (MISHTI).  Launched  by  the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change on 5 th  June 2023 (World Environment Day), MISHTI aims to enhance mangrove ecosystems for their high carbon storage capacity and role as coastal  bio-shields.  The  initiative  is  being  implemented  through  convergence  with  State CAMPA, MGNREGS, and other state schemes, with gap-funding from National CAMPA. The State of Tamil Nadu has not yet submitted a plan to seek funding under MISHTI.

- (c) Government  of  India  has  notified  the  Carbon  Credit  Trading  Scheme  (CCTS)  on  28 th June  2023  under  Energy  Conservation  (Amendment)  Act,  2022.  CCTS  has  two  mechanisms namely,  compliance  mechanism  and  offset  mechanism.  The  Indian  government  provides technical assistance to states for developing carbon credit mechanisms through various initiatives and  bodies,  including  the  Bureau  of  Energy  Efficiency  (BEE)  and  the  National  Steering Committee  for  the  Indian  Carbon  Market  (NSCICM).  However,  under  CCTS  no  technical assistance have been given to Tamil Nadu or any other states.
- (d) The Ministry currently does not have explicit guidelines or a dedicated implementation framework  for  Blue  Carbon  projects.  However,  restoration  efforts  targeting  key  Blue  Carbon ecosystems-namely mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes-have been undertaken across all coastal States and Union Territories. These initiatives have actively involved local communities, leveraging  their  Traditional  Ecological  Knowledge  (TEK)  to  enhance  the  effectiveness  and sustainability of restoration outcomes.

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