- Why in news
- On 28 September 2026, PIB published a feature on India's Green Highways approach. It reports 3.61 crore saplings planted in five years, the first NH Green Cover Index report, and NHAI's September 2026 plantation completion norms.
- What it is
- The Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy, 2015 guides plantation along National Highways. It was issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. NHAI and other agencies carry it out through contractors, Self Help Groups and forest departments.
- Plantation completion norm
- Provisional completion certificate needs plantation on at least 80% of the RoW earmarked for plantation.
- Plantation scale
- Over 3.61 crore saplings were planted across about 1.32 lakh km of NHs in the last five years.
- Miyawaki method
- A dense-planting technique that packs trees and shrubs closely for fast, forest-like growth in small spaces.
- Bio-bitumen
- Developed by CSIR-CRRI and CSIR-IIP from rice straw by pyrolysis. A 100-metre trial was laid on NH-40 in Meghalaya.
- Coverage threshold
- Provisional completion needs plantation on at least 80% of the Right of Way earmarked for plantation.
- Survival rate in O&M
- O&M and annuity payments in EPC, HAM and BOT Annuity projects depend on keeping at least 90% survival throughout the O&M period.
- Shortfall penalty
- Any shortfall must be listed with completion timelines, and money is withheld under the agreement until the target is met.
- Replacement of dead plants
- Dead plants must be replaced with plants of similar age and growth to keep the plantation uniform.
- Governing standards
- Plantation must follow the Green Highways Policy, 2015 and IRC:SP:21-2009, besides MoRTH and NHAI guidelines.
Don’t confuse with Miyawaki method vs compensatory afforestation: Miyawaki is a dense-planting technique to raise green cover. Compensatory afforestation is a legal duty to replace forest land or trees lost to a project.
Don’t confuse with Plantation vs transplantation: Plantation means planting new saplings. Transplantation means moving existing trees to another site when felling is needed.
Don’t confuse with PCC vs PCOD: Provisional Certificate of Completion (PCC) is used for completion of works; Provisional Commercial Operation Date (PCOD) is used for the date tolling or commercial operation may begin. The new plantation threshold applies to both.
Don’t confuse with Coverage vs survival: 80% is the minimum area of earmarked ROW planted; 90% is the minimum survival of saplings.
Environment: Prelims tests bodies, programmes and the law behind them; Mains asks why plans fall short.
Why it matters
- Ties highway completion to plantation and survival, so greening is enforced and not optional.
- Satellite-based NH-GCI gives objective, comparable data on roadside green cover.
- Waste-derived materials and bio-bitumen cut import dependence and stubble burning pressure.
- Ties environmental compliance to money, so plantation can no longer be ignored at completion.
- Helps carbon sinks, shade, air quality and reduced highway-construction impact.
Problems
- Low survival of saplings due to poor maintenance, water shortage and wrong species choice.
- Plantation cannot fully offset forest and tree loss from highway expansion.
- Survival depends on water, upkeep and local conditions, and verification by field inspection can be uneven.
- Land for plantation within the ROW can be limited, and contractors may plant only to pass inspection.
Way forward
- Use NH-GCI rankings to target weak stretches and fix contractor accountability.
- Favour native species and community or SHG-led upkeep, and fold bio-bitumen into road standards.
- Use independent third-party or geo-tagged monitoring of survival.
- Choose native species suited to the local climate and involve local communities in upkeep.
Put in your answer
NH network growth: NH network grew from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,572 km by March 2026, raising the need for greening.
Bitumen import dependence: India imports nearly half its bitumen, which bio-bitumen can help reduce.
Pollinator corridors: Trees for Bees pollinator corridors are being developed on the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.
Linking payments to plantation: NHAI withholds payments until plantation targets are met, an example of enforcing environmental compliance through contract terms.
Green Highways Policy, 2015: MoRTH's policy for green corridors along national highways; the new norms operationalise it.
- 2016Mains GS3 · Q14Measures to mitigate environmental impacts like rehabilitation when planning major projects
- 2015Mains GS2 · Q10Strengthening NGO role in environmental protection works and constraints
- 2018Mains GS2 · Q6Policy contradictions among sectors causing inadequate environmental protection
- 2017Mains GS2 · Q16Role of Self-Help Groups in development and government promotion measures
- 1996Prelims Q63Which programmes are included in the National Forest Policy of 1988 (afforestation, reforestation)
- 2016Prelims Q33Aim of Green India Mission: restoring forest cover and climate response
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Same issue already on file; a feature piece with background data, no new decision.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.