The state’s total green cover, comprising the forested areas, has now crossed 15.5%, according to a statement released by the rural development department last week. The ongoing tree-planting drive under the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Mission (JJHM) has significantly enhanced the green cover, supplementing the forest and environment department’s afforestation initiatives. While the figure is still below the national average of 23.8%, the achievement marks a clear turnaround for a state that has long struggled with shrinking tree cover amid floods, population pressure and changing weather patterns.
The just-released Bihar Economic Survey 2025-26, presented in the assembly last month, lays out the progress in black and white. Between 2011 and 2023, the state’s forest cover alone grew by 689 square kilometres, and the forestry sector posted an average annual growth rate of 10.6%. More encouragingly, the survey’s satellite data shows a real improvement in quality as well.
According to the survey report, very dense forest areas rose from just 231 square kilometres in 2011 to 387 square kilometres by 2023 – a sharp proportional jump that points to better survival rates of the new plantations. Moderately dense forest stayed steady at around 3,284 square kilometres, while open forest, which still makes up 43% of Bihar’s wooded areas, is slowly giving way to thicker patches. The report states that about 13% of the forest is very dense, 44% is moderately dense and 43% is open forest.
A senior officer of the RDD attributed the growth in green cover to intensive drive under the JJHM, which has been kicked off in 2019. Since then the department has put more than 21.25 crore saplings into the ground. The numbers tell the story of how the campaign picked up speed over the years. It started modestly in 2019-20 with 1.48 crore plants, then jumped to 3.26 crore the next year and stayed strong at 3.31 crore in 2021-22.
Even after a slight dip to 2.72 crore in 2022-23, the drive bounced back with 3.31 crore in 2023-24, touched a high of 4.06 crore last year – the single biggest annual effort so far – and has already added another 3.38 crore in the current financial year.
“These saplings have not just added green patches on paper. They have changed lives on the ground. Women in self-help groups and Jeevika didis run the nurseries, raising fruit trees and shade plants that later bring them regular earnings,” said a senior officer, engaged in the drive. Farmers now pick mangoes and guavas from mission sites, turning what used to be empty roadside strips and canal banks into extra income streams. School compounds, panchayat offices, government buildings and village commons have all got a fresh coat of green.
RDD minister Shravan Kumar, who has been reviewing the JJHM progress on a regular basis, said, “Climate change is a burning global issue. Plantation is one of the most important ways to fight it. The JJHM is a serious and ambitious scheme of the government. Through it, revolutionary efforts have been made towards environmental protection and climate balance. Plantation has rapidly expanded the state’s green cover and, at the same time, opened a new path of employment for lakhs of Jeevika Didis.”
The mission works alongside other steps listed in the survey – the forest management information system, the Bihar-VanMitra app for public reporting, the e-Parivesh portal for quicker clearances, the Bamboo Mission and wetland projects around the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary. But officials say the door-to-door, village-level planting model has reached the farthest corners and created the biggest impact.
The government has set the target of taking green cover to 17% by 2028. If the same energy continues, Bihar will not only close the gap with the rest of the country but also show that a focused, community-driven effort can deliver both a healthier environment and new livelihoods. In a state where every extra tree counts against floods and heat, these 21 crore saplings are already standing as proof that change is possible – one village, one nursery, one green patch at a time.
