science π² India's forest goals facing major scrutiny
India's Green India Mission progress is under fire as auditors found a 97.57% shortfall from the 2014 pledge. Independent assessments suggest forest cover is lower than government claims due to methodology differences. Over five years, India has approved forest land diversion equivalent to Hong Kong for development projects. The Great Nicobar Project proposes clearing 13,075 hectares for a major hub, sparking legal pushback. Experts warn that simple compensatory afforestation is not a complete fix for ecological health. π³