CAG Finds Little Tree-Cover Change Across Most Plantation Sites

India’s government planted trees through a programme called the Green India Mission.

An audit checked many of the plantation sites.

It found that most checked sites did not show a clear increase in tree cover.

Many planted trees also did not survive or grow as expected.

In one West Bengal site, only about 22 out of every 100 checked plants were still alive.

The audit also found that many records were missing important information.

This made it difficult to prove how many trees were planted and how well they grew.

The auditors recommended using maps, satellite information and field checks to verify the results.

They said success should be measured by surviving, growing trees rather than only by the number of saplings reported.