communities; sponsor research and extension of findings to disseminate new and proper
technologies for the regeneration and development of degraded forest areas and adjoining lands;
create general awareness and help foster a people’s movement for promoting afforestation and
eco-development with the assistance of voluntary agencies, non-governmental organizations,
panchayati raj institutions and others and promote participatory and sustainable management of
degraded forest areas and adjoining lands.
National Afforestation Programme Scheme
National Afforestation Programme (NAP) is a major afforestation scheme of the NAEB in
the Government of India. Launched in 2000-02, the scheme has acquired a pan India ambit over
the last nine years of its implementation and was being implemented by 28 states of the country
through a twin institutional set up of Forest Development Agencies (FDAs) at the forest division
level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the village level. From 2010-11,
State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) were constituted at the state level to smoothen the
fund flow to the FDAs. The programme is now implemented through a three tier system of State
Forests Development Agency (SFDA) at the state level, Forest Development Agency (FDAs) at
the district/forest division level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the village
level. Under Entry Point Activities, community assets are created with a ‘care and share’
concept. The objectives of the scheme include: protection and conservation of natural resources
through active involvement of the people; checking land degradation, deforestation and loss of
biodiversity; ecological restoration and environmental conservation and eco-development;
evolving village level people’s organization which can manage the natural resources in and
around villages in a sustainable manner; capability endowment and skill enhancement for
improving employability of the rural people.
Eco-Development Forces Scheme
Eco-Development Forces (EDF) Scheme was established in 1980s as a scheme being
implemented through Ministry of Defence for ecological restoration of terrains, rendered
difficult either due to severe degradation or remote location or difficult law and order situation. It
is based on twin objectives of ecological regeneration in difficult areas, and promotion of
meaningful employment to ex-servicemen.
Under this scheme, the establishment and operational expenditure on the Eco Task Force
(ETF) Battalions raised by Ministry of Defence is reimbursed by Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change while the inputs like sapling, fencing, etc., and also the professional
and managerial guidance is provided by the state forest departments.
National Mission for Green India
The National Mission for a Green India (GIM), one of the eight missions under the National
Action Plan on Climate Change aims at protecting and enhancing India’s diminishing forest
cover to counter the perils of climate change. It envisages a holistic view of greening and focuses
on multiple ecosystem services along with carbon sequestration and emission reduction as co-
benefit.
The Mission embarks on meeting the challenge of climate change adapation and mitigation
through sub-missions and a cross-cutting intervention: a) enhancing quality of forest cover and