Aastha Van Sanrakshan Yojana: ₹3,000 Crore for Conservation of 15,000 Sacred Groves

Key facts

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the Aastha Van Sanrakshan Yojana to conserve and restore nearly 15,000 sacred groves (Aastha Vans) across India.
• The scheme has an initial corpus of ₹3,000 crore allocated for five years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
• The approval was granted during the 7th governing body meeting of the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management & Planning Authority (CAMPA) in Coimbatore, chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
• The meeting also approved several wildlife and forestry projects: Conservation and Recovery Action Plan for River Dolphins, Project Snow Leopard Phase-II, Conservation Action Plan for the Indian Rhinoceros, a pan-India conservation strategy for the wild water buffalo, and support for the conservation of Manipur’s brow-antlered deer (Sangai).
• Under the Nagar Van Yojana, 652 nagar vans and vatikas have been developed with a fund allocation of ₹571.50 crore.
• A sum of ₹7.28 crore was released to the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) under the Green Credit Scheme to promote the expansion of plantation-based green cover.