Lok Sabha Question No. 3844 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-16
Subject: Green Credit Programme
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Brijmohan Agrawal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3844

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2026

## Green Credit Programme

## 3844. SHRI BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL:

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

- (a) the  current  status  of  the  Green  Credit  Programme  (GCP),  including  land  registered  for plantations, State/UT-wise particularly in Chhattisgarh;
- (b) the  mechanisms  in  place  to  monitor  the  long-term  survival  of  saplings  and  ensure  that credits are issued only upon achieving established ecological milestones like the 40 per cent canopy density;
- (c) whether the Government has a protocol to prevent "double counting" where land parcels already  under  Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund  Management  and  Planning  Authority (CAMPA) or other afforestation Schemes registered for Green Credits;
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to involve local communities in the maintenance and protection of these plantations to improve survival rates; and
- (e) the  measures  being  adopted  to  ensure  that  native  biodiversity  is  prioritized  over  fastgrowing exotic species in degraded forest areas?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)  to (e) The  Green  Credit  Programme  is  an  innovative  mechanism  to  incentivise environmentally positive actions and to promote  the LIFE  (Lifestyle for Environment)  movement,  which  aims  at  encouraging  sustainable  lifestyles  by driving  community  towards  behavioural  changes  that  support  environmentfriendly  actions.  The  Green  Credit  Programme  aims  to  increase  green  cover, enhance carbon sequestration, restore degraded lands and reduce carbon footprint through the adoption of environment-friendly technologies and practices.

The Central Government has notified Green Credit Rules, 2023 on 12th October 2023  under  the  Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986  to  encourage  voluntary environmental positive actions resulting in issuance of Green Credits. Under the Green Credit Programme, the modality for tree plantation and eco-restoration of degraded forest lands has been notified on 22nd February 2024 and subsequently revised on 29th August 2025.

A Green Credit Programme Portal (https://moefcc-gep.in/) has been developed for the purpose.

The  Indian  Council  of  Forestry  Research  and  Education,  Dehradun  is  the Administrator under the Green Credit Programme and responsible for the effective implementation  of  the  Green  Credit  Programme,  including  its  management, operation and issuance of green credits under these rules.

The Green Credit Programme aims to restore degraded forest lands through the active participation of public and private sector entities. The degraded forest land parcels proposed to be taken up under the Green Credit Programme are selected and registered by the State Forest Department after due verification on the ground.

The  land  parcels  selected  under  Green  Credit  Programme  are  verified  by  the Divisional Nodal Officer (DNO) and State Nodal Officer (SNO) to ensure that the degraded forest land parcels are  neither taken up  under existing plantation nor earmarked  for  afforestation  under  any  other  scheme,  including  compensatory afforestation, so as to prevent double counting under Green Credit Programme.

Afforestation activities undertaken on such degraded forest lands are required to use a mixture of indigenous species based on site suitability. The Green Credits can be claimed by an applicant only after minimum five years of restoration work have been completed and a minimum canopy density of forty per cent has been achieved.  A  five-year  establishment  period  is  prescribed  to  allow  the  planted seedlings and natural regenerations to mature and develop adequate canopy cover, so as to  achieve  the prescribed 40  per cent canopy density, corresponding to a moderately dense forest.

The  "designated  agency"  designated  under  the  Green  Credit  Programme  shall conduct verification of the claim for the Green Credits and submit report to the Administrator  as  regard  to  the  verification  of  the  activities  undertaken  by  an applicant for issuance of green credit.

The forest lands restored under GCP can be exchanged for meeting Compensatory Afforestation  requirements  under  the  Van  (Sanrakshan  Evam  Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, its rules and guidelines thereunder.

The forest restoration activities undertaken under the programme aim to enhance biodiversity and improve the productivity of forest resources. The restoration of degraded  forest  lands  aims  to  benefit  local  communities  by  increasing  the availability  of  timber,  non-timber  forest  produce,  fodder,  water,  and  other ecosystem services.

State-wise area of degraded forest area selected under the Green Credit Program for eco-restoration is placed at Annexure-I .

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Annexure  referred  to  in  reply  of part  (a)  to  (e)  Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3844 due for answer on 16.03.2026 regarding 'Green Credit Programme'

## Details of State-wise area of degraded forest area selected under the Green Credit Program for eco-restoration

| Sl. No.   | State          |   Area (in ha) |
|-----------|----------------|----------------|
| 1         | Assam          |            454 |
| 2         | Bihar          |            460 |
| 3         | Chhattisgarh   |            536 |
| 4         | Goa            |              5 |
| 5         | Gujarat        |            975 |
| 6         | Jharkhand      |            302 |
| 7         | Madhya Pradesh |            640 |
| 8         | Maharashtra    |            335 |
| 9         | Odisha         |            257 |
| 10        | Rajasthan      |            175 |
| 11        | Telangana      |            155 |
| 12        | Uttar Pradesh  |             97 |
| Total     | Total          |           4391 |