• The review analyses the role of CAZymes in lignocellulose degradation with focus on the different approaches for improving the enzyme activity. • Omics based approaches for the analysis of genes, transcripts, proteins and metabolites related to plant degrading mechanism. • Directed evolution and rational design as approaches for engineering to enhancing the CAZyme properties. • Microbial engineering of the fungal and microbial strains by adapting techniques like CRISPR/cas9 and use of various expression systems. • Novel enzymes and cocktail formulation for biorefinery-based application for production of value-added products using low cost plant biomass.