With reference to Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Income (MISHTI), which of the following statements is/a…

Question

With reference to Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Income (MISHTI), which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It was initiated in 2019.

2. It aims to restore Mangrove forests.

Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A. Only 2 (Correct answer)
2. B. Neither 1 nor 2
3. C. Both 1 and 2
4. D. Only 1

Correct Answer

Option A — Only 2

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Only 2.

Key Points

• Statement 1 is incorrect. MISHTI — *Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes* — was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24, not in 2019.
• Statement 2 is correct. Its purpose is precisely the restoration and afforestation of mangrove cover along India's coastline and on salt-pan lands.
• Only statement 2 holds, giving option (a).

Additional Information

• MISHTI is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, drawing convergence from MGNREGA, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA) and other sources.
• It was announced in the same Budget as PM-PRANAM, GOBARdhan and the Amrit Dharohar scheme for wetland conservation.
• Mangroves matter for coastal protection against cyclones and tsunamis, as nurseries for fish, and as exceptionally efficient stores of "blue carbon".
• The Sundarbans, shared between India and Bangladesh, is the largest mangrove forest in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Ramsar site and a biosphere reserve. Other major Indian mangroves are at Bhitarkanika (Odisha), Godavari-Krishna (Andhra Pradesh) and Pichavaram (Tamil Nadu).
• West Bengal has the largest mangrove cover of any Indian state, and 26 July is the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.