Lok Sabha Question No. 1159 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-02-09
Subject: Forest Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: MEENAKASHI LEKHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  1159

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.02.2018

## Forest Cover

## 1159.    SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether  India's forest cover has increased during the last three years and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) the steps being taken by the Government to further increase India's forest cover?

## ANSWER MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, a subordinate organization under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report (ISFR). As per the latest report i.e. ISFR- 2015, the Total Forest Cover (TFC) of the country is 7,01,673 square kilometers which is 21.34% of the total geographical area of the country. Further, as per  ISFR-2015,  the  total  tree  cover  outside  forest  (ToF)  in  the  country  is  estimated  to  be 92,572 square kilometers which is 2.82% of the total geographical area of the country. The total forest and tree cover outside forest in the country as per ISFR-2015 is 7,94,245 square kilometers which is 24.16% of the geographical area of the country.

As per the last three India State of Forest Reports, the total forest and tree cover in India has increased. The total forest and tree cover alongwith percentage to the total geographical area and increase in forest and tree cover are as follows:-

|   ISFR | TFC (in square kilometers and percentage)   | ToF (in square kilometers)   | Total forest cover and Tree Outside Forest (in square kilometers and percentage)   | Increase in forest and tree cover ( in square kilometers)   |
|--------|---------------------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
|   2015 | 7, 01, 673 (21.34%)                         | 92,572                       | 794,245 (24.16%)                                                                   | 5081                                                        |
|   2013 | 6, 97, 898 (21.23%)                         | 91,266                       | 789,164 (24.01%)                                                                   | 6293                                                        |
|   2011 | 6, 92, 027 (21.03%)                         | 90,844                       | 782,871 (23.81%                                                                    | -                                                           |

- (b) To further increase the forest cover in the country, afforestation programmes are being taken up  under  various  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  such  as  National  Afforestation  Programme (NAP)  and  Green  India  Mission  (GIM)  being  implemented  by  Ministry  of  Environment, Forest and  Climate  Change.  Afforestation  activities are also taken up  under  various programmes/funding sources such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee  Scheme  (MGNREGS),  Integrated  Watershed  Management  Programme  (IWMP) which, from 2015-16, has been amalgamated as the Watershed Development Component of the 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)'  and  under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

National  Afforestation  Programme  (NAP)  of  the  Ministry  of  Environment  &  Forests  is  a Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  for  afforestation  and  eco-restoration  of  degraded  forests  and adjoining areas through people's participation in the country. The  scheme is being implemented  through  a  decentralized  mechanism  of  State  Forest  Development  agency (SFDA) at State Level, Forest Development agency (FDA) at Forest Division level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at Village level.  An amount of Rs. 473.99 crores has been released to the states to treat an area of 152477 hectares during the last three years and the current year (2014-15 to 2017-18).

National  Mission  for  a  Green  India  (GIM)  is  one  of  the  eight  Missions  outlined  under  the National  Action  Plan  on  Climate  Change.  It  aims  at  protecting,  restoring  and  enhancing India's forest cover and responding to Climate. GIM activities were started in the Financial Year 2015-16. So far fund amounting to Rs. 150.11 crore has been released under GIM to nine States for carrying out various activities under the mission.

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