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Assam has recorded the highest green cover along national highways in India, according to the first National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) released by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The index provides a scientific assessment of vegetation within the right of way of highways using satellite-based monitoring. The study, prepared in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), evaluated around 30,000 km of national highways across 24 states during the July-December 2024 period. Assam ranked first in the national assessment, followed by Gujarat, Telangana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The index is intended to provide a quantitative measure of roadside vegetation and help authorities monitor plantation efforts and environmental sustainability across India's expanding highway network.
Assam has recorded the highest green cover along national highways in India, according to the National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) released by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which provides a satellite-based assessment of vegetation within the right of way of highway corridors across the country. Advertisement
The index was released earlier this month as part of the first annual report prepared by NHAI in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), a division of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The assessment aims to measure the proportion of vegetation along national highways and create a standardised framework for monitoring environmental conditions along road infrastructure.
The study evaluated approximately 30,000 km of national highways across 24 states during the period between July and December 2024. Using high-resolution satellite sensors, the system analyses chlorophyll content and vegetation patterns along both sides of highway corridors to estimate the extent of green cover within the designated right of way.
In the national rankings produced through the first assessment cycle, Assam emerged as the state with the highest green cover along its national highway network. Gujarat was placed second, followed by Telangana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The index is designed to enable comparative evaluation among states and identify areas requiring additional plantation or vegetation management along highway stretches.
Officials indicated that the Green Cover Index provides a technology-driven method for evaluating plantation initiatives undertaken along national highways under various environmental programmes. By quantifying vegetation presence at a one-kilometre interval along highway corridors, the system allows authorities to monitor changes in roadside greenery and identify stretches where plantation activity may be insufficient.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts by NHAI and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to integrate environmental considerations into the expansion of India's highway network. Plantation and landscaping programmes along highways are undertaken to improve ecological balance, stabilise roadside soil conditions, and enhance the visual environment of highway corridors.
Under the NH-GCI framework, annual assessments will be conducted to track year-on-year changes in green cover across different highway stretches. The index is expected to assist policymakers and implementing agencies in planning plantation drives, maintaining roadside vegetation, and ensuring that highway development incorporates environmental sustainability measures.
Authorities noted that future assessment cycles will continue to expand the scope of monitoring as additional highway stretches are mapped through satellite-based analysis. The findings are intended to guide targeted interventions and improve management of plantation programmes along the national highway network as road infrastructure development continues across the country.
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