The National Mission for a Green India (GIM) is a government scheme and one of the eight Missions under the overarching National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It was formally launched in February 2014 to address the problem of diminishing forest cover and the adverse effects of climate change on India's biological resources and livelihoods. The Mission's core purpose is to protect, restore, and enhance India's forest and tree cover through a combination of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.
GIM works by adopting a holistic, landscape-based approach that extends beyond simple tree planting to focus on multiple ecosystem services like biodiversity, water, and carbon sequestration. Its initial objectives included increasing forest/tree cover on 5 million hectares and improving the quality of forest cover on another 5 million hectares of land. A key mechanism involves the active participation of local communities, with the Gram Sabha serving as the overarching institution for implementation at the village level. The Mission connects directly to India's international commitments, aiming to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030, as part of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
The Mission has changed recently with a revised plan for 2021-2030 unveiled in June 2025. While the core objectives remain, the revised roadmap adopts a micro-ecosystem approach and focuses on the restoration of vulnerable landscapes such as the Aravalli ranges, Western Ghats, and the Indian Himalayan region. This revision also aligns GIM with other initiatives like the Aravalli Green Wall Project and integrates the previously separate National Afforestation Programme (NAP).