Lok Sabha Question No. 726 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-02-07
Subject: Changing Forest Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 726

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2017

## Changing Forest Cover

## 726. SHRI BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA:

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

- (a) the details of the decrease or increase in the forest cover across the country, particularly in Uttar Pradesh in 2016; and
- (b) the details of measures taken to stop illegal cutting of trees?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a) Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, a subordinate organization under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has been carrying out the assessment of forest cover of the country biennially. The findings of the assessment are published in India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The latest report in the series is India State of Forest Report 2015. As per this report, the total forest cover of the country is 7, 01,673 square kilometers which is  21.34%  of  the  total  geographical  area  of  the  country.  There  is  a  net  increase  of  3775 square kilometers in the forest cover of the country as compared with India State of Forest Report-2013. The detailed list showing forest cover and change in forest cover States/UTs wise  is  given  in Annexure. As  per  the  ISFR  2015,  forest  cover  of  Uttar  Pradesh  has increased  112  square  kilometers  as  compared  to  ISFR-2013.    The  details  of  decrease  or increase in the forest cover in Uttar Pradesh in 2016 is not available.
- (b) The protection and management of forest including prevention of illegal cutting of trees is primarily  the  responsibility  of  concerned  State  /Union  Territory  Governments.  This Ministry provides financial assistance to the  State/UT  Governments  under  various Centrally Sponsored Schemes including scheme on 'Intensification of Forest Management'.  Under  this  scheme  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  strengthen  forest protection  machinery  by  way  of  infrastructure  development,  use  of  modern  technology, improved mobility by way of deployment of new field vehicles, improved communication and providing arms and ammunition to the front-line forestry force.  Uttar Pradesh Forest Department has also informed that to check the menace of illegal felling of trees, a number of  measures that  include  establishment  of  control  room,  improved  mobility,  provision  of arms and co-ordination with other law enforcement agencies and administration have been undertaken.

****

Annexure Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question

## No. 726 due for answer on 07.02.2017 regarding 'Changing Forest Cover'.

55.38

| States/UTs          | Geographical Area   | Total Forest Cover 2015   | Total Forest Cover 2013   |   Change in Forest Cover |   Change Percent |
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      | 1,60,204            | 24,424                    | 24,357                    |                    67    |             0.27 |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 83,743              | 67,248                    | 67321                     |                   -73    |            -0.11 |
| Assam               | 78,438              | 27,623                    | 27671                     |                   -48    |            -0.17 |
| Bihar               | 94,163              | 7,288                     | 7291                      |                    -3    |            -0.04 |
| Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,191            | 55,586                    | 55621                     |                   -35    |            -0.06 |
| Delhi               | 1,483               | 189                       | 180                       |                     9    |             4.75 |
| Goa                 | 3,702               | 2,224                     | 2219                      |                     5    |             0.22 |
| Gujarat             | 1,96,022            | 14,660                    | 14653                     |                     7    |             0.05 |
| Haryana             | 44,212              | 1,584                     | 1586                      |                    -2    |            -0.13 |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673              | 14,696                    | 14683                     |                    13    |             0.09 |
| Jammu& Kashmir      | 2,22,236            | 22,988                    | 22538                     |                   450    |             1.96 |
| Jharkhand           | 79,714              | 23,478                    | 23473                     |                     5    |             0.02 |
| Karnataka           | 1,91,791            | 36,421                    | 36132                     |                   289    |             0.79 |
| Kerala              | 38,863              | 19,239                    | 17922                     |                  1317    |             6.85 |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,245            | 77,462                    | 77522                     |                   -60    |            -0.08 |
| Maharashtra         | 3,07,713            | 50,628                    | 50632                     |                    -4    |            -0.01 |
| Manipur             | 22,327              | 16,994                    | 16990                     |                     4    |             0.02 |
| Meghalaya           | 22,429              | 17,217                    | 17288                     |                   -71    |            -0.41 |
| Mizoram             | 21,081              | 18,748                    | 19054                     |                  -306    |            -1.63 |
| Nagaland            | 16,579              | 12,966                    | 13044                     |                   -78    |            -0.6  |
| Odisha              | 1,55,707            | 50,354                    | 50347                     |                     7    |             0.01 |
| Punjab              | 50,362              | 1,771                     | 1772                      |                    -1    |            -0.06 |
| Rajasthan           | 3,42,239            | 16,171                    | 16086                     |                    85    |             0.53 |
| Sikkim              | 7,096               | 3,357                     | 3358                      |                    -1    |            -0.03 |
| Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,058            | 26,345                    | 23844                     |                  2501    |             9.49 |
| Telangana           | 114,865             | 21,591                    | 21759                     |                  -168    |            -0.78 |
| Tripura             | 10,486              | 7,811                     | 7866                      |                   -55    |            -0.7  |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928            | 14,461                    | 14349                     |                   112    |             0.77 |
| Uttarakhand         | 53,483              | 24,240                    | 24508                     |                  -268    |            -1.11 |
| West Bengal         | 88,752              | 16,828                    | 16805                     |                    23    |             0.14 |
| A&N Islands         | 8,249               | 6,751                     | 6711                      |                    40    |             0.59 |
| Chandigarh          | 114                 | 22,.03                    | 17.26                     |                     4.77 |            21.65 |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491                 | 206                       | 213                       |                    -7    |            -3.4  |
| Daman &Diu          | 112                 | 19.61                     | 9                         |                    10.61 |            52.73 |
| Lakshadweep         | 32                  | 27.06                     | 27.06                     |                     0    |             0    |
| Puducherry Grand    | 480                 | 55.38                     | 50.06                     |                     5.32 |             9.61 |
| Total               | 32,87,263           | 701,673                   | 697898                    |                  3775    |             0.54 |