India's Green Recovery

 Evolution never happens in a uniform manner. Changes are cataclysmic, and it is these changes that bring about a change in the world order. This maybe a period for such a change.”

India'S Approach Green Recovery ?

First, ecological restoration can be included in India’s vast public works programs:  India can use the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhyaan - which have a combined annual outlay of $20 billion - to build the country’s green infrastructure. These programs can help restore forests at scale, improve the quality of pastures, forests and wetlands, control erosion and forest fires, as well as sequester carbon and conserve biodiversity.

Second, returning migrants can be encouraged to set up new forest-based enterprises.   Given the rapidly growing demand for natural products, returning workers can be encouraged to set up MSMEs that add value to non-timber forest produce (NTFP) using their knowledge of new technologies and urban markets. For instance, instead of rare produce from Himachal Pradesh - such as morel mushrooms and Himalayan herbs - being taken to Amritsar and Delhi for collation and processing, returning migrants can process them near their village homes, generating jobs and raising local incomes.

Third, thriving forests can benefit agriculture by helping control erosion, improving the quality of soil, water and air, preventing landslides, reviving pastures, recharging aquifers, and providing food, fodder and medicines. “Restoring forests can also help regulate sediment and water flows in large river basins such as the Ganges and Brahmaputra, making agriculture, hydropower, water supply and roads more resilient to the impacts of climate change, and reducing air pollution,”.

Fourth, restoring India’s natural heritage and unique ecosystems can boost opportunities for nature-based tourism. By creating safer habitats for India’s vast biodiversity, forests can help boost tourism, generating gainful employment for rural residents.  In the US, the National Park Service uses forests to educate and inspire, while in Korea, forests play an important role in the life of a citizen - as a retreat for pre-natal care, a teacher for young children, for recreation and adventure during one’s youth, for therapy and relaxation from the working world, and for memorial services after death.

Fifth, restoring forests and terrestrial landscapes will help India meet its international commitments towards climate change and land degradation. Under IUCN’s Bonn challenge, India has the highest global commitment for arresting climate change, aiming to restore over 20 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. Achieving this could make India the global leader in green recovery.

In India, some states have already taken the lead on the path towards green recovery. Maharashtra’s ‘Green Army’ initiative has, for instance, planted 589 million saplings between 2016 and 2020 with participation from all sections of society. And on July 28, 2020, Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, set a world record by planting more than 289 million plants in a single day.