India misses Green India Mission forest cover targets by 98%

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India informed Parliament in August 2026 that the government has missed its targets to increase and improve forest cover by nearly 98 per cent. This failure pertains to the Green India Mission (GIM), a component of the National Action Plan on Climate Change formulated in 2008.

The GIM established three primary objectives: increasing forest and tree cover on five million hectares, improving forest quality and species diversity on another five million hectares, and supporting the livelihoods of approximately three million forest-dwelling households. The audit indicates a failure to meet these goals.

This shortfall occurs as South Asia faces significant climate vulnerability. The World Bank’s South Asia Climate Change Roadmap warns that annual economic losses in the region could reach $160 billion by 2030, potentially worsening food insecurity and impacting poor families. The Bank estimates that over 750 million people in South Asia have been affected by climate-related disasters over the last two decades.