New Delhi: Eco-restoration activities under the Green Credit Programme have been initiated over an area of 4,258 hectares through the participation of 17 entities, the Union environment ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Under the Centre’s Green Credit Programme, a scheme aimed at addressing land degradation, degraded land parcels are identified and restored with financial support from various public and private entities, including industries.
The degraded land parcels proposed to be taken up under the Green Credit Programme are selected and registered by the State Forest Department after due verification on the ground, the ministry said while responding to questions by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Yogender Chandolia.
The questions pertained to the mechanism adopted under the Green Credit Programme for the registration of degraded land, issuance of green credits and digital monitoring of plantation activities; the categories of participants eligible to undertake plantation activities under the programme; and the outcomes achieved so far in terms of enhancing forest and tree cover, building an inventory of degraded land for afforestation, and encouraging citizen and corporate participation in sustainable environmental initiatives.
Union minister of state for environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said in response, “The Green Credits can be claimed by an applicant only after a minimum five years of restoration work have been completed and a minimum canopy density of forty per cent has been achieved. A five-year establishment period is prescribed to allow the planted seedlings and natural regenerations to mature and develop adequate canopy cover, so as to achieve the prescribed 40% canopy density, corresponding to a moderately dense forest.”
The “designated agency” designated under the Green Credit Programme shall conduct verification of the claim for the Green Credits and submit a report to the Administrator as regard to the verification of the activities undertaken by an applicant for issuance of green credit, Singh said, adding that transparency and accountability of the Green Credit Programme is enabled through methodologies, guidelines and digital processes.
“The forest restoration activities under the Green Credit Programme aim to enhance biodiversity and improve the ecological health and productivity of forest resources,” he said.
The ministry added that the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, is the Administrator responsible for the effective implementation of the Green Credit Programme, including its management, operation and issuance of green credits under the rules.
Separately, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said the Central government has not granted any prior approval under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, for the diversion of 1,742 hectares of forest land for the ‘Kente Extension’ coal block in the Hasdeo Arand forest of Chhattisgarh.
Responding to questions on (1) whether the government has granted approval for the diversion of 1,742 hectares of forest land for the ‘Kente Extension’ coal block recently, and if so, the details thereof; (2) the estimated number of trees likely to be cut and the project’s likely impact on local biodiversity and elephant corridors; and (3) whether the government has received objections from local gram sabhas, Singh said, “A proposal was submitted by the State Government for diversion of 1,742.60 hectares of forest land for the Kente Extension Opencast Coal Mine to the ministry on the PARIVESH portal on November 25, 2025. The ministry examined the proposal and sought further information from the State Government.”
“As per the information received from the Government of Chhattisgarh, so far no objections have been received from local gram sabhas against this proposal. The Central Government has not accorded any prior approval for diversion of forest land for the said proposal,” he added.