Introduction
Nagar Van Yojana is a Central Government initiative aimed at developing urban forests and green spaces in and around cities.
It was launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to improve urban ecology, increase green cover and bring people closer to nature.
The scheme promotes the creation of Nagar Vans and Nagar Vatikas through cooperation among State Forest Departments, urban local bodies, local communities and other institutions.
Objectives
- Increase green cover in urban and peri-urban areas
- Restore degraded forest and vacant land
- Improve urban biodiversity
- Reduce air pollution and the urban heat-island effect
- Promote environmental awareness among citizens
- Create accessible recreational and educational green spaces
- Strengthen climate resilience in cities
Key Features
- Development of urban forests within or near cities
- Plantation of suitable native species
- Restoration of degraded urban forest patches
- Community participation in planning and maintenance
- Creation of walking trails, biodiversity zones and nature-education facilities
- Support for bird, butterfly and pollinator habitats
- Convergence with urban local bodies and State Forest Departments
Nagar Van and Nagar Vatika
- Nagar Van refers to a relatively larger urban forest developed within or near a city.
- Nagar Vatika refers to a smaller green space or urban woodland created where sufficient land for a large forest is unavailable.
Both are intended to improve the ecological and social quality of urban life.
Funding
The scheme is supported through the Compensatory Afforestation Fund, along with possible convergence with State schemes, municipal resources, corporate social responsibility and community participation.
Importance for Urban Areas
Rapid urbanisation has led to:
- Loss of natural vegetation
- Increasing air pollution
- Higher temperatures
- Decline in urban biodiversity
- Greater pressure on public open spaces
Nagar Van Yojana addresses these challenges by creating urban green lungs.
Urban forests can:
- Absorb carbon dioxide and pollutants
- Reduce dust and noise
- Moderate local temperature
- Improve groundwater recharge
- Provide habitat for birds and small wildlife
- Improve citizens’ physical and mental well-being
Community Participation
Local communities are expected to play an important role in:
- Plantation drives
- Protection of saplings
- Maintenance of green spaces
- Biodiversity monitoring
- Environmental education
- Preventing encroachment and degradation
This helps create a sense of public ownership over urban forests.
Challenges
- Shortage of available land in cities
- Encroachment and competing land use
- Poor survival of plantations
- Preference for ornamental rather than native species
- Inadequate long-term maintenance
- Limited coordination between forest departments and urban bodies
- Risk of treating plantation numbers as more important than ecosystem quality
Significance
Nagar Van Yojana represents a shift from viewing cities only as built-up spaces to treating them as ecological systems.
It seeks to integrate forests into urban planning and improve:
- Climate resilience
- Biodiversity
- Air quality
- Public health
- Environmental awareness
- Quality of urban life
The scheme is therefore not merely a plantation programme; it is an attempt to create healthier, cooler and more liveable Indian cities.
