With air pollution in Delhi having reached the critical level and experts pointing out the need to adopt long-term planning, the union minister for environment, forest and climate change, Bhupender Yadav, chaired a high-level meeting last week in New Delhi to push plantation efforts in Delhi and adjoining regions to counter air pollution.
The meeting discussed adopting a scientific plan and engaging the community with a convergence-based approach for increasing green cover across the NCR (National Capital Region). This goal is to be achieved through a district-wise action plan, to be extended over both rural and urban areas, involving forest land as well as other government land and identifying land parcels in the urban areas belonging to urban local bodies.
Reviewing the green infrastructure
Yadav reviewed the progress of identifying areas of plantation for 2026-27 and requested the NCR states to start a detailed district-wise planning.
“Protected areas, zoos (existing and proposed) community forests, revenue forests, Nagar Vans/Namo Parks, identification and mapping of degraded forest land, catchment areas of rivers, water bodies, wetlands and Ramsar sites (and) other public spaces under different authorities including revenue lands, Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies … nurseries in rural and urban areas” have been identified as prospective areas for greening,
said a press release on the meeting The meeting also stressed the need to ensure convergence of resources of different agencies to maximise the output.
The minister stressed that all Eco-Clubs in NCR should be mapped for generation of awareness as well as active participation in plantation and maintenance activities. “The natural history and regional centres should be actively involved in the plantation efforts. States were also requested to map all existing nurseries along with their current production capacities and assess the requirement for more resources to meet future plantation needs,” observed the minister.
States agreed to conduct a detailed analysis to identify areas for plantation, types of plantations to be undertaken, the stakeholders to be involved in these plantation activities and prepare the district-wise detailed action plan, the minutes of the meeting stated.
Five-year plan
Yadav asked all states to assess all existing forest and wildlife management plans factoring in the directions of courts applicable in the NCR region and prepare a micro plan for the next five years, clearly identifying the following:
· Areas to be taken up for plantation each year
· Implementing agencies
· Opportunities for community engagement
· Nature of plantation interventions
· Nurseries and sources of quality planting material
· Mapping of funding sources under existing schemes, including Green India Mission, Nagar Van Yojana, Green Credit Programme, Compensatory Afforestation Fund, State funds, MGNREGA, river rejuvenation programmes and schemes.
Yadav stressed identification of all the areas affected by invasive species and eco-restoration of such areas to be made a part of the micro plans developed.
NCR greening
The minister asked officials of the ministry to prepare a five-year greening plan for the NCR region by consolidating the district-wise micro plans prepared by the states. Based on this integrated plan, actions will be initiated. The greening efforts will be monitored by the Commission for Air Quality Management, which monitors the air pollution situation of Delhi- NCR.
Yadav asked all states to identify degraded forest lands and make them available on the Green Credit Programme portal to enable participation of individuals, public and private entities in eco-restoration activities.
The Government of India’s Green Credit Programme is a market-based mechanism launched in October 2023 to incentivise voluntary environmental actions. Administered by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, it aims to encourage activities like afforestation, water conservation and waste.