National Afforestation Programme

The National Afforestation Programme has been formulated by merger of four 9th plan centrally sponsored afforestation schemes of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), GoI, with a view to reducing multiplicity of schemes with similar objectives, ensuring uniformity in funding pattern and implementation mechanism, avoiding delays in availability of funds to the field level and institutionalising peoples participation in project formulation and implementation. The NAP is operated as the flagship scheme of the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB) providing support and capacity building.

• During the 9th Five year Plan of the Indian Parliament, the MoEF was operating four centrally sponsored afforestation schemes, namely, Integrated Afforestation and Eco-Development Project Scheme (IAEPS), Area Oriented Fuel wood and Fodder Project Scheme (AOFFPS), Conservation of Non-Timber Forest Produce including Medicinal Plants (NTFPS) and Association of ST and Rural Poor in Regeneration of Degraded Forests (ASTRPS). A mid-term evaluation of the projects under these schemes recommended a decentralized approach and speedy fund transfer mechanism. To this end, a Pilot Scheme Samnavit Gram Vanikaran Samridhi Yojana (SGVSY) was launched in 2000-01 and following its success, was scaled up to form a coalition of all afforestation schemes of the 9th Plan operated as a 100% central sector scheme known as the National Afforestation Programme.

The NAP is being implemented through a 2 tier structure of Forest Development Agency (FDA) at the forest division level and Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) at the village level. FDAs are registered under the Societies Registration Act. JFMC’s are registered either with the Forest Department or under Statutory Provisions. The district level officers of relevant line departments of the State Government and Panchayati Raj Institution are members of the FDA. These institutions are highly innovative resource transfer mechanisms whereby the Government of India channelizes funds directly to the agencies implementing the afforestation activities. To guide and assist the FDA’s and JFMC’s there is also a National Level Steering Committee of NAP and another at State level called the State Level Coordinating Committee chaired respectively by the Secretary (Environment and Forests), Government of India and Chief Secretary of the State Government.

In the process of combining four schemes, each with a different priority area of effort, the main objective of suitable afforestation must not be lost. The NAP must also ensure that each scheme receives its correct share of the grant which is efficiently utilised.