https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Green Bonanza: Degraded Forest Land On Offer to Earn Green Credit

Under GoI’s Green Credit Programme, approved entities can finance afforestation projects in wastelands Ten states have identified parcels of degraded forest land, amounting to about 3,853 hectares These will be available for individuals, groups, public and private sector units to earn and trade green credits
Indian Masterminds Stories

Only two months into the Union Environment Ministry’s announcement of the methodologies for the calculation of credit for its ambitious Green Credit Programme (GCP), already over 500 land parcels spanning 4,885 hectares – the size of nearly 6,000 football fields – across 10 states have been approved for tree plantations. These 10 states, along with three more states, have together identified over 10,000 hectares of land for the programme.

The 10 states have identified parcels of degraded forest land, amounting to about 3,853 hectares, that will be available for individuals, groups, and public and private sector units to earn, and potentially trade, green credits. Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh alone account for up to 40% of the forest land made available.

Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in the Government of India, 1987 batch IAS officer Leena Nandan, gave details about this latest development.

Secretary MoEFCC, Leena Nandan, IAS

WHAT IS GREEN CREDIT?

The Green Credit Program (GCP) is an innovative market-based mechanism aimed at incentivizing voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors involving individuals, communities, private sector industries, and companies. The green credit shall be calculated at the rate of one green credit per tree growing through the tree plantation on such a land parcel, subject to a minimum density of 1100 trees per hectare, based on the local Silvi-climatic and soil conditions.

Under this scheme, registered and approved entities can pay to finance afforestation projects in specific tracts of degraded forest and wastelands. The actual afforestation will be carried out by the state forest departments. Two years after planting and following an evaluation by the International Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), an autonomous body of the Environment Ministry, each planted tree could be worth one ‘green credit’.

The program was launched by Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of COP 28. It is an initiative within the government’s Lifestyle for Environment, or LIFE, movement. The Green Credit Rules, 2023, were notified on October 12, 2023, under the Environment Protection Act of 1986.

HOW GREEN CREDIT IS EARNED

Although the program was launched six months ago, the Environment Ministry notified the methodologies for the calculation of credit generated in lieu of tree plantations on degraded land parcels, including scrubland, wasteland, and catchment areas of rivers, only in February 2024.

Detailing the process, Ms. Leena Nandan said, “After identifying the biodiversity of each degraded forest land block, tree species will be selected after discussion with the relevant forest department, the entity that has selected the land, and the ICFRE. This selection will be strictly site relevant to assist natural regeneration and indigenous species.”

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will be the administrator in the entire process, which will start with state forest departments identifying degraded forest land blocks with a canopy density ratio of less than 0.4. These land parcels will then be made available on the GCP portal. Entities including individuals, the private sector, philanthropists, local bodies, etc., can then select the land parcel of their interest for plantation and make payment to the administrator through the portal.

Ms. Nandan said, The amount will be transferred to respective state forest departments for undertaking plantation and maintaining the same for 10 years. The details of the flora and fauna diversity of each land degraded forest land block will be provided on the GCP portal.”

She also added that greening will be undertaken through shrubs and grasses based on the terrain and agro-climatic conditions. “If existing root stock is available, only boundary fencing, closing of areas, and other such protection measures will be taken to regenerate the biodiversity naturally. Green credits will be issued to the entities on completion of the greening activity in two years.”

LEADERS AMONG STATES

As of now, Madhya Pradesh leads with 954 hectares of approved degraded forest land for greening exercises, followed by Telangana with 845 hectares, Chhattisgarh with 713 hectares, Gujarat with 595 hectares and Assam with 454 hectares.

The other five states where land parcels have been approved by the administrator, ICFRE, are Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Odisha. While land parcels have so far been identified by forest departments of 13 states.

Explaining how the programme will nurture the entire ecosystem, Ms. Nandan said, “GCP does not encompass only the carbon sequestration aspect of areas where greening has been successful. It is independent of the carbon credit mechanism, as it intends to encourage other non-carbon environmentally friendly actions to benefit the local soil, water, and ecosystem.”


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Rajnath Singh Defence Minister
Defence Minister Empowers CDS to Issue Joint Orders: Major Leap Toward Armed Forces Integration
Mohan Yadav CM MP
267th NVDA Meet: CM Mohan Yadav Urges Solar Energy Integration in Narmada Valley Projects for Sustainable Irrigation, Calls for 100% Water Utilization
neramac
NERAMAC to Get New MD: Bhaskar Barua Selected to Head Corporation, PESB Recommends His Name - Details Inside
SECI
SECI Signs 25-Year PPA with ACME for 300 MW Solar Project in Rajasthan - Details Inside
Pushkar-Singh-Dhami
Road Revolution in Uttarakhand: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Hails Connectivity Drive as Key to ‘Developed India’ Vision
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel Disburses Over ₹724 Crore via DBT to 13 Lakh Students Under 4 Education Schemes - Details Inside
PSUs
India’s Climate Push: PSU and Private Refineries Get Sectoral GHG Targets for the First Time
Vivek Chandel
Himachal’s Pride: IAS Officer Vivek Chandel Wins Best Performance Award at LBSNAA, Mussoorie; Honoured by Lok Sabha Speaker
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
What ill-fated pilots of AI171 may have gone through in those 40 seconds before the crash? Intro:
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Rajnath Singh Defence Minister
Defence Minister Empowers CDS to Issue Joint Orders: Major Leap Toward Armed Forces Integration
Mohan Yadav CM MP
267th NVDA Meet: CM Mohan Yadav Urges Solar Energy Integration in Narmada Valley Projects for Sustainable Irrigation, Calls for 100% Water Utilization
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT