Naga Babu takes charge as AP Green chief, targets 50% green cover by 2047
Synopsis
Pawan Kalyan's brother Konidela Naga Babu has taken charge as Chairman of AP Green — Andhra Pradesh's reforestation body — with a Cabinet-rank appointment and a single headline target: take the state's green cover from 22.96% to 50% by 2047. The real test will be whether a monitoring system for sapling survival can turn plantation drives into verifiable forest gains.
Key Takeaways
Konidela Naga Babu assumed charge as Chairman of the AP Green Executive Committee on 28 August at Aranya Bhavan, Mangalagiri.
He was appointed on 17 August and holds Cabinet rank under the Government Order.
Andhra Pradesh's current forest cover is 22.96 per cent ; the target is 50 per cent total green cover by 2047 .
The initiative will span agricultural lands, urban areas, roadsides, canal bunds, and wastelands — not just forest land.
A dedicated sapling survival monitoring system will be established to track plantation outcomes.
Naga Babu is the brother of Deputy Chief Minister and Forest Minister Pawan Kalyan and a member of the Legislative Council .
Konidela Naga Babu on Friday, 28 August assumed charge as Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Green Executive Committee in Mangalagiri, pledging to raise the state's total green cover to 50 per cent of its geographical area by 2047. Naga Babu, the brother of Deputy Chief Minister and Forest Minister Pawan Kalyan, took office at Aranya Bhavan and outlined an ambitious, multi-departmental action plan for environmental conservation.
The Appointment and Its Significance
Naga Babu, whose full name is Konidela Nagendra Rao, was formally appointed Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Andhra Pradesh Society for Greening and Reforestation for Ecological Enrichment (AP Green) on 17 August. According to the Government Order, the position carries Cabinet rank. He is also a sitting member of the Legislative Council.
Naga Babu thanked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan for entrusting him with the role. 'I will work with utmost dedication to effectively achieve the goals set by the AP Green Society,' he said at the event.
The Green Cover Challenge
Andhra Pradesh's current forest cover stands at 22.96 per cent of its geographical area — less than half the 50 per cent target set for 2047. Naga Babu stressed that the initiative goes beyond conventional forest land, targeting green expansion across agricultural lands, villages, urban areas, roadsides, canal bunds, public and private institution premises, industrial surroundings, and suitable wastelands.
'This is not merely a target set for the sake of statistics; the government has undertaken this initiative with the resolve to provide future generations with clean air, a healthy environment, and a better quality of life,' he said.
A People's Movement, Not Just a Government Scheme
A central theme of Naga Babu's address was the need to move beyond top-down implementation. He called for active participation from farmers, voluntary organisations, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) entities, students, youth, entrepreneurs, and every citizen to convert AP Green from a government programme into a mass movement.
Noting that no single department can achieve the target alone, he said the committee will coordinate with departments including Agriculture, Horticulture, Panchayat Raj, Education, Industries, Revenue, Water Resources, Transport, and Forest.
Sapling Survival: A Key Focus
Naga Babu was emphatic that tree-planting drives alone are insufficient. He said the committee will establish a dedicated monitoring system to track the survival, protection, and healthy growth of every sapling planted — addressing a long-standing criticism of large-scale plantation drives in India, where survival rates have historically been low.
What Comes Next
With the AP Green Executive Committee now operational, the immediate focus will be on rolling out a state-wide action plan and activating inter-departmental coordination. The initiative's success will ultimately be measured not by saplings planted but by verified green cover gains — a benchmark that Naga Babu has publicly committed to.
Point of View
Legislator, and brother of the Forest Minister — to a Cabinet-rank environmental role will inevitably draw scrutiny over whether the position is a policy appointment or a political one. The 50% green cover target by 2047 is ambitious given that the state currently sits at 22.96%, but the more telling detail is the emphasis on sapling survival monitoring: large-scale plantation drives across India have repeatedly logged high planting numbers and low survival rates. If AP Green can build a credible, publicly auditable tracking system, it would be a genuine institutional innovation. If not, the 2047 headline will join a familiar list of green targets that looked better on press releases than on the ground.
NationPress
28 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Konidela Naga Babu and what is his new role?
Konidela Naga Babu, whose full name is Konidela Nagendra Rao, is a Legislative Council member and the brother of Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. He was appointed Chairman of the AP Green Executive Committee on 17 August and assumed charge on 28 August, with the position carrying Cabinet rank.
What is the AP Green initiative in Andhra Pradesh?
AP Green refers to the Andhra Pradesh Society for Greening and Reforestation for Ecological Enrichment, a state body tasked with expanding forest and tree cover across Andhra Pradesh. Its primary goal is to raise total green cover — including forests, agricultural land, urban areas, and wastelands — to 50 per cent of the state's geographical area by 2047.
What is Andhra Pradesh's current forest cover?
Andhra Pradesh's current forest cover stands at 22.96 per cent of its geographical area, according to Naga Babu's statement at the charge-taking ceremony. The AP Green initiative aims to more than double the total green cover to 50 per cent by 2047.
How does AP Green plan to achieve the 50 per cent green cover target?
The plan involves expanding green cover beyond forest land to include agricultural areas, villages, urban zones, roadsides, canal bunds, and wastelands. It requires coordination across departments including Agriculture, Horticulture, Panchayat Raj, Education, and Forest, alongside participation from farmers, CSR bodies, students, and citizens.
What makes this plantation drive different from previous efforts?
Naga Babu has emphasised establishing a dedicated monitoring system to track the survival and healthy growth of every sapling planted — a direct response to the historically low survival rates seen in large-scale plantation drives. The focus on verified outcomes, rather than planting numbers alone, is a stated priority of the AP Green Executive Committee.
