Govt to release Rs 13,000 crore in first phase 4-year long programme
With general elections round the corner, the Environment Ministry is to now to push through the ambitious Rs 46,000 crore Green India Mission(GIM) to increase forest cover in the country.
On the occasion of giving away of Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar-2010 awards on Wednesday, Environment Minister Veerappa Moily said the Union Cabinet will consider the GIM on Thursday.
It is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), to increase forest cover on five million hectares of forest/non-forest land and improve quality of forest cover on another 5 million hectares.
The fund is for the gradual increase of forest year by year. It is a targeted project which will be very effectively monitored, said Moily.
Moily said the Government would release Rs 13,000 crore in the first phase to implement the programme in four years time.
The NAPCC that was launched in 2002 was aimed at increasing forest cover of the country . However, as per the report of estimates committee, forest cover has decreased by 367 sq km during the period 2009 to 2011.