The basic objectives are as follows:

• Maintenance of environment stability through preservation and, where necessary, restoration of the ecological balance that has been adversely disturbed by serious depletion of the forests of the country.
• Conserving the natural heritage of the country by preserving the remaining natural forests with the vast variety of flora and fauna, which represent the remarkable biological diversity and genetic resources of the country.
• Checking soil erosion and denudation in the catchment areas of rivers, lakes, reservoirs in the interest of soil and water conservation, for mitigating floods and droughts and for the retardation of siltation of reservoirs.
• Checking the extension of sand dunes in the desert areas of Rajasthan and along the coastal tracts.
• Increasing substantially the forest/ tree cover in the country through massive afforestation and social forestry programmes, especially on all denuded, degraded and unproductive lands.
• Meeting the requirement of fuel-wood, fodder, minor forest produce and small timber of rural and tribal populations.
• Increasing the productivity of forests to meet essential national needs.
• Encouraging efficient utilization of forest produce and maximizing substitution of wood.
• Creating a massive people’s movement with the involvement of women, for achieving these objectives and to minimize on existing forests.

(The goal: To attain one third of the geographical area under forest cover by 2012 (33% in the plain areas and 66% in the hills