Revised Green India Mission (GIM) plan for 2021–2030:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released the revised Green India Mission (GIM) plan for 2021–2030 on World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, observed on 17th June 2025.
- The Green India Mission (GIM) is one of the 8 missions under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), launched in February 2014.
- It aims to respond to climate change through a combination of mitigation and adaptation strategies, primarily focusing on forest-based ecosystem restoration.
- As of 2023, India’s forest cover is gradually increasing, with 11.22 million ha brought under plantations between 2015–16 and 2020–21 through GIM and related initiatives.
- However, challenges include funding gaps, invasive species plantations, and inadequate protection of old-growth forests.
- GIM’s effective implementation is crucial for achieving 33% forest cover, as per national policy, and meeting India’s 2030 climate commitments.
- World Day to Combat Desertification and Droughts is observed annually by the UN on 17th June to raise awareness on desertification and drought, promoting sustainable land management.
- It marks the adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994, the only global legally binding agreement linking environment, development, and sustainable land management.
- The theme for 2025 is ‘Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities’.
