India, March 9 -- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday released the first National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI), establishing a baseline for measuring vegetation along the country's highway network using satellite-based assessment.

Subsequent annual cycles will track year-on-year changes along the same highway stretches, enabling monitoring of improvements in roadside vegetation over time, NHAI said in a statement.

The index was prepared in coordination with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after a memorandum of understanding was signed by both agencies in January 2024 to develop a scientific and quantitative framework for assessing plantations along n...