Rahul Somvanshi
India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released a comprehensive backgrounder on June 4, 2026, detailing forest and environmental outcomes across a 12-year period. According to the Press Information Bureau, India's combined forest and tree cover now stands at 8.27 lakh square kilometres—25.17 percent of the nation's geographical area as of the latest India State of Forest Report 2023.
The figures are subdivided into distinct categories. Forest cover accounts for 7.15 lakh square kilometres (21.76 percent of geographical area), while tree cover—vegetation outside designated forest boundaries—comprises 1.12 lakh square kilometres (3.41 percent). The PIB stated that forests currently store 30.43 billion tonnes of carbon stock, a metric used to assess the carbon-sequestration capacity of forested areas.
These figures result from multiple government programmes spanning reforestation, urban greening, and river restoration initiatives. The Green India Mission, a central government scheme, has released Rs 1,019.26 crore across states as of March 2026 to finance afforestation activities. Compensatory afforestation efforts, funded through the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), covered more than 3.20 lakh hectares during the fiscal years 2020–21 to 2024–25, according to the backgrounder.
Urban forest expansion forms a parallel strand. The Nagar Van Yojana (Urban Forest Scheme) has released Rs 557.62 crore for the establishment of 626 Nagar Vans and Vatikas (urban forests and gardens) as of March 31, 2026. These facilities are designed to enhance green cover in cities and towns where tree density historically remains low.
The Aravalli Green Wall initiative targets restoration of degraded land in the Aravalli region, which spans multiple states. The PIB stated that the programme aims to restore 6.31 million hectares; as of 2025, 36,025 hectares had been restored. Supporting infrastructure includes 435 active nurseries with a combined seedling production capacity of 393.24 lakh saplings, creating a supply pipeline for ongoing restoration work.
The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (One Tree in Mother's Name) campaign, a mass tree-planting initiative, had planted 262.4 crore saplings by December 2025. The programme operates through schools, communities, and volunteer networks across the country.
River restoration represents another major investment stream. The Namami Gange (Ganga Rejuvenation) programme, which targets pollution abatement and ecological restoration of the Ganga River, has sanctioned 524 projects worth Rs 43,030 crore by February 2026. According to the PIB, approximately 355 of these projects have been completed, with Rs 21,340 crore disbursed since programme inception. Projects span treatment infrastructure, riverbank restoration, and biodiversity protection.
The aggregated investment and scale of these programmes reflect the government's stated commitment to climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and river ecosystem health. However, programme funding and project completion are documented by government ministries; long-term ecological outcomes and carbon sequestration rates would require independent scientific verification over multiple years. India's environmental restoration efforts across national forest cover, urban greening, and river health restoration are documented in the PIB data released in June 2026.
