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CAG AUDIT FLAGS MAJOR GAPS IN GREEN INDIA MISSION | UPSC Current Affairs 2025-26Why in News? The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged major shortcomings in the implementation of the Green India Mission (GIM). The audit examined 16 States and UTs from 2015-16 to 2024-25 and found massive gaps in funding, planning and monitoring. KEY FINDINGS OF CAG AUDIT: The GIM had targeted improvement in quality of forest cover over 1.4 million hectares, but improvement was observed in only 0.11384 million hectares - a 91.87% shortfall. Similarly, target was to increase forest cover over 1.4 million hectares, but actual increase was only 0.03409 million hectares - a 97.57% shortfall.MAJOR REASONS FOR SHORTFALL:Inadequate convergence with CAMPA, MGNREGS, Nagar Van Yojana, School Nursery Yojana. Insufficient funding: Failed to secure Rs 10,600 crore. Only Rs 1149.14 Cr received out of expected Rs 2400 Cr (47.88%). Deficiencies in planning & weak monitoring mechanisms. 8 States/UTs did not maintain annual accounts. ABOUT GREEN INDIA MISSION (GIM): Launched by MoEFCC in 2014. It is one of the 8 missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). Objectives: Improve forest & tree cover, enhance biodiversity, ecosystem services, water conservation, carbon sequestration, forest-based livelihoods. Target: Increasing forest/tree cover over 5 million ha + Improving quality over another 5 million ha.IMPORTANCE FOR INDIA'S CLIMATE COMMITMENTS: Under its NDC under the Paris Agreement, India committed to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030 through forest and tree cover. GIM is a key programme for this. Way Forward: Ensure adequate funding; improve convergence between schemes; strengthen state-level planning; strengthen monitoring with remote sensing; focus on forest quality, not just area; and promote greater participation of local communities. This topic is very important for UPSC Prelims and Mains GS Paper 3 Environment and Ecology. #greenindiamission #CAGAudit #UPSC #CAGAudit #GreenIndiaMission #GIM #UPSC2026 #UPSC2025 #CurrentAffairs #Environment #Ecology #ForestCover #CAGReport #NAPCC #ClimateChange #MoEFCC #NDC #UPSCGS3 #VajiraoAndReddyIAS