Guardian says India is whitewashing Green India Mission

The whitewashing of the Green India Mission forest expansion project | World news | The Guardian https://share.google/ay9dMwJyqd1LwhLkd
In her latest article on India Niha Masih discusses the deforestation going on in India. It looks like Hannah has moved on!
She claims that the government has failed to meet its targets to reforest India and is whitewashing its statistics. However the actual picture is somewhat different. India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares by afforestation by 2030. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to restore 150 million hectares of the world’s degraded and deforested lands by 2020 and 350 million hectares. Known as the Bonn Challenge Target India is one of the largest participants in the initiative. India’s Second Progress Report shared at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) event noted that 21.76 million hectares were brought under restoration between 2011 and 2020. According to FAO data highlighted in global forestry overviews, India ranks 9th globally in total forest area and 3rd in annual net forest area gain. So India is by no means whitewashing the forest expansion project.
She further talks about India’s Great Nicobar Island project. The plan is to Island into a major international transshipment, economic, and strategic military hub.It could lead to the felling of around 700,000 trees. There are legitimate concerns of the impact on the island and its native population. India had pledged to replant as many trees in other parts of India. This is a dilemma faced by all countries. The need to progress against the status quo.
Apart from her main article Niah gives us snippets of news from India. She mentions that Uttar Pradesh journalist Abhishek Upadhyay, among the first to report on the theft of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir Temple, has alleged police harassment and retaliation over his reporting. The truth is that Abhishek has been booked by police for road rage. The due process of law is taking place. It is a bit far-fetched that a traffic policeman would pick on a journalist and ‘ harass’ him. Guardian readers should be given the full story. Otherwise it shrinks its reputation.
Nitin Mehta
25 August 2026.