By IANS,
New Delhi: A blueprint for the implementation of the Green India Mission, which seeks to enhance the forest cover of the country, will be available by August-end, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Tuesday.
“Green India Mission document will be finalised by April-end. We will put it in public domain and consultations will be held in five parts of the country to take views of common people,” Ramesh said while addressing a national workshop on Joint Forest Management here.
“By August-end, we will be in position to have a final design of the mission,” he said.
The public consultations will be organised by the Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad.
The Green India Mission in one of the eight missions announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2008 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It aims to expand forest cover from 23 percent to 33 percent in the country and afforestation of 6 million hectares of degraded forest land.
Ramesh said the ministry is working out modalities for funds required to run the mission.
“India is adding to forest cover and four lakh hectares of land has been brought under forest cover in last 10 years. In the next 10 years, we are planning to double this achievement,” he said.
He said Joint Forest Management Committees can play an important role in increasing the forest cover.