National Afforestation Programme through Community Participation

Keeping in view the objective of achieving 25% tree/forest cover as part of the monitorable target set out for the Tenth Five Year Plan, the Ministry of Environment & Forests has launched a very ambitious afforestation programme with people’s involvement for the sustainable management of the country’s forests. Under this programme, all afforestation schemes of the Ministry have been brought under a single National Afforestation Programme being implemented through decentralized Forest Development Agencies (FDA) set up at the forest division level. The FDAs are a confederation of Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the village level to provide an organic link between the forest departments and the grass-root level communities.

During the Tenth Plan, an amount of Rs 1024 crores is earmarked which will, apart from generating gainful employment, create community assets for meeting the requirement of fuelwood, fodder and small timber.

227 projects in 23 States have been operationalised for treating an area of 3.75 lakh ha for the Tenth Five Year Plan as on 31.12.2002. An amount of Rs 130 crores has also been released. Of this, 37 projects are solely for NE States with an outlay of Rs 116 crores for treating an area of 68,696 ha. Special emphasis is also given on plantation of trees in jhumlands in these areas.

Detailed Operational Guidelines, please Click here.