The CAG audit of the National Mission for a Green India reveals major shortfalls in forest cover and forest quality targets, raising concerns about tree plantation outcomes. The article highlights the importance of CSR plantation projects, sapling survival rates, biodiversity conservation, and independent verification to measure long-term environmental impact.
What the auditors found
On 12 August 2026, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled a performance audit of the National Mission for a Green India in Parliament. It covered 16 states and union territories from 2015-16 to 2024-25. The mission’s broader vision was five million hectares each for forest cover and quality. The audit tested the 1.4 million-hectare targets approved for the states and territories reviewed (PNI News, 2026).
The auditors found an increase in forest cover of 0.03409 million hectares, a shortfall of 97.57%. Against a separate 1.4 million-hectare target to improve forest quality, they reported improvements on 0.11384 million hectares, a shortfall of 91.87% (PNI News, 2026; Blitz India Media, 2026). A satellite-based analysis of sampled sites found that 70 % showed no noticeable change attributable to the mission. The audit also reported inflated data, with achievements overstated on unvalidated map files. The mission received ₹1,149.14 crore in budget support over the ten years (Blitz India Media, 2026).
This is a government programme, not a CSR project. It matters here for a different reason. It shows how far a headline number, such as saplings planted, can sit from a result a person could stand in. For corporate plantation drives, that difference is the whole question.
The drives are running now.
Plantation targets keep rising. The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign set a target of 80 crore saplings by September 2024, and the environment ministry said it was met five days early (Deccan Herald, 2024). In July 2026, a 70-lakh plantation mission was launched in Delhi, and the Delhi Development Authority was given 23 lakh native saplings to plant (The News Mill, 2026).
The authority also launched a digital monitoring system in August 2026. It has a mobile app and a public dashboard, and it says an independent third-party agency will verify survival (The News Mill, 2026). That is a useful design. It records survival, not only planting.
Where CSR fits
Environmental work is a minority of CSR. Sattva Consulting reported in July 2026 that the environment accounted for 8.4% of CSR spending in FY2024. Among high-value environmental projects of ₹50 lakh or more, biodiversity conservation accounted for 11 % (National Herald, 2026). Companies with an average CSR obligation of ₹10 crore or more must commission an independent assessment of completed projects with outlays of ₹1 crore or more. The project must have been completed at least a year before the study, and the report is submitted to the board (Mullick, 2021). A plantation can therefore be assessed when it is a year old, which is early for a tree.
What a credible standard would measure
An editorial on the audit notes that the auditors used GPS, Google Earth Pro, remote sensing and analytical support from the Indian Institute of Science to test the mission’s claims (India Observers, 2026). A CSR project report can be tested the same way if it includes coordinates, species and survival counts at fixed intervals.
In this article’s view, a credible report would provide survival rates at 12, 24, and 36 months, identify who waters and protects the saplings, and allow a site visit. It would also state the land type, since planting on a degraded forest patch and on a village common are different tasks. A report that gives only the number planted cannot be checked.
The audit also found a planning gap. It reported that convergence with other afforestation work, which was central to the mission’s strategy, was absent at every institutional level (Blitz India Media, 2026). One report says that 37.99 lakh trees have been planted in Delhi under the current campaign, accounting for over 54% of the 70-lakh target (Asianet Newsable, 2026). Planting progress is easy to report. Survival takes years to confirm.
The question for corporate boards is a plain one. When an assessor visits in three years, will the trees still be there?
Clear Cut CSR Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: October 14, 2026 17:23 IST
Written By: Tanmay J. Urs
