Lok Sabha Question No. 6573 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-06
Subject: Increase in Forest Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAMDAS CHANDRABHANJI TADAS, BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA, NATUBHAI GOMANBHAI PATEL

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6573

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.04.2018

## Increase in Forest Cover

## 6573. SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS:

SHRI BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA: SHRI NATUBHAI GOMANBHAI PATEL:

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

- (a) whether the Government has undertaken a massive plantation drive across the country to increase green cover;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise along with the target fixed for plantation of trees by the year 2019;
- (c) whether there has been an increase in the green cover in the country due to plantation drive during the last three years and if so, the State/UT-wise details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has sought assistance of social service organisations in this regard and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has taken steps to protect the planted saplings from drying up  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  funds  earmarked  for  the  purpose  and directions issued to concerned authorities in this regard; and
- (f) the  other  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote  forest  based  economy  in  the country?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b) At present the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has taken up plantation activities to increase green cover under the Green India Mission (GIM) and National Afforestation Programme (NAP) schemes. GIM activities were started in the financial year 2015-16 and so far fund amounting to Rs. 157.64 Cr. have been released under GIM to nine States for carrying out GIM activities. An expenditure of Rs. 3698.63 Cr has been incurred to treat an area of 21.38 lakh hectares since inception of the NAP scheme till Financial Year 2017-18. The targets for plantation of trees for year 2019 will be based on fund availability.
- (c) The Forest and tree cover of the country, as per the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2017 is 802088 sq.km which is 24.40 per cent of the geographical area of the country. There  is  an  increase  of  8021  sq.  km  in  the  forest  and  tree  cover  of  the  country  as compared to 2015 assessment report. The State/UT-wise details are annexed ( AnnexureI ).
- (d)  The  Ministry  is  releasing  the  funds  to  the  State  Governments  for  implementation  of schemes. The States may engage the social service organisations as per their requirements for implementation of schemes.

(e) & (f) The Ministry is releasing the funds to the State Governments for implementation of schemes which includes maintenance and protection of already completed plantation works. The  different  schemes  of  the  Ministry  have  the  provision  for  providing  services  like  fuel, fodder,  and  timber  and  non-timber  forest  produces  (NTFPs)  to  promote  forest  based economy.

****

## Forest Cover in States/UTs in India

## (Area in sq km )

| State               | Geographic Area   | 2017 Assessment Total   | Change in forest cover wrt ISFR 2015 updated   |
|---------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| State               | Geographic Area   | Forest cover            | Change in forest cover wrt ISFR 2015 updated   |
| Andhra Pradesh      | 162968            | 28,147                  | 2141                                           |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 83743             | 66,964                  | -190                                           |
| Assam               | 78438             | 28,105                  | 567                                            |
| Bihar               | 94163             | 7,299                   | 45                                             |
| Chhattisgarh        | 135192            | 55,547                  | -12                                            |
| Delhi               | 1483              | 192.41                  | 3.64                                           |
| Goa                 | 3702              | 2,229                   | 19                                             |
| Gujarat             | 196244            | 14,757                  | 47                                             |
| Haryana             | 44212             | 1,588                   | 8                                              |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 55673             | 15,100                  | 393                                            |
| Jammu &Kashmir *    | 222236            | 23,241                  | 253                                            |
| Jharkhand           | 79716             | 23,553                  | 29                                             |
| Karnataka           | 191791            | 37,550                  | 1101                                           |
| Kerala              | 38852             | 20,321                  | 1043                                           |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 308252            | 77,414                  | -12                                            |
| Maharashtra         | 307713            | 50,682                  | -17                                            |
| Manipur             | 22327             | 17,346                  | 263                                            |
| Meghalaya           | 22429             | 17,146                  | -116                                           |
| Mizoram             | 21081             | 18,186                  | -531                                           |
| Nagaland            | 16579             | 12,489                  | -450                                           |
| Odisha              | 155707            | 51,345                  | 885                                            |
| Punjab              | 50362             | 1837                    | 66                                             |
| Rajasthan           | 342239            | 16,572                  | 466                                            |
| Sikkim              | 7096              | 3,344                   | -9                                             |
| Tamil Nadu          | 130060            | 26,281                  | 73                                             |
| Telangana           | 112077            | 20,419                  | 565                                            |
| Tripura             | 10486             | 7,726                   | -164                                           |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 240928            | 14,679                  | 278                                            |
| Uttarakhand         | 53483             | 24,295                  | 23                                             |
| West Bengal         | 88752             | 16,847                  | 21                                             |
| A&N Islands         | 8249              | 6,742                   | -9                                             |
| Chandigarh          | 114               | 21.56                   | -0.10                                          |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491               | 207                     | 1                                              |
| Daman &Diu          | 111               | 20.49                   | 0.88                                           |
| Lakshadweep         | 30                | 27.10                   | 0.04                                           |
| Puducherry          | 490               | 53.67                   | -3.28                                          |
| Grand Total         | 32,87,469         | 708273                  | 6778                                           |

## State/Union Territory * wise Tree Cover Estimates

| State/Union Territory*    |   Geog. Area |   Tree Cover 2015 |   Tree Cover 2017 |   (Area in sq. km) Change with respect to ISFR 2015 (updated) |
|---------------------------|--------------|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1                         |            2 |                 3 |                 4 |                                                             5 |
| Andhra Pradesh            |       162968 |              3965 |              3753 |                                                          -212 |
| Arunachal Pradesh         |        83743 |               761 |               807 |                                                            46 |
| Assam                     |        78438 |              1613 |              1496 |                                                          -117 |
| Bihar                     |        94163 |              2182 |              2263 |                                                            81 |
| Chhattisgarh              |       135192 |              3629 |              3833 |                                                           204 |
| Delhi                     |         1483 |               111 |               113 |                                                             2 |
| Goa                       |         3702 |               325 |               323 |                                                            -2 |
| Gujarat                   |       196244 |              7914 |              8024 |                                                           110 |
| Haryana                   |        44212 |              1355 |              1415 |                                                            60 |
| Himachal Pradesh          |        55673 |               757 |               822 |                                                            65 |
| Jammu &Kashmir            |       222236 |              8354 |              7815 |                                                          -539 |
| Jharkhand                 |        79716 |              2783 |              2922 |                                                           139 |
| Karnataka                 |       191791 |              5552 |              5713 |                                                           161 |
| Kerala                    |        38852 |              2951 |              2959 |                                                             8 |
| Madhya Pradesh            |       308252 |              7773 |              8073 |                                                           300 |
| Maharashtra               |       307713 |              9558 |              9831 |                                                           273 |
| Manipur                   |        22327 |               243 |               220 |                                                           -23 |
| Meghalaya                 |        22429 |               710 |               657 |                                                           -53 |
| Mizoram                   |        21081 |               535 |               467 |                                                           -68 |
| Nagaland                  |        16579 |               381 |               379 |                                                            -2 |
| Orissa                    |       155707 |              3986 |              3993 |                                                             7 |
| Punjab                    |        50362 |              1544 |              1622 |                                                            78 |
| Rajasthan                 |       342239 |              8269 |              8266 |                                                            -3 |
| Sikkim                    |         7096 |                35 |                35 |                                                             0 |
| Tamil Nadu                |       130060 |              4505 |              4671 |                                                           166 |
| Telangana                 |       112077 |              2549 |              2669 |                                                           120 |
| Tripura                   |        10486 |               233 |               215 |                                                           -18 |
| Uttar Pradesh             |       240928 |              7044 |              7442 |                                                           398 |
| Uttarakhand               |        53483 |               752 |               767 |                                                            15 |
| West Bengal               |        88752 |              2088 |              2136 |                                                            48 |
| Andaman& Nicobar Islands* |         8249 |                37 |                35 |                                                            -2 |
| Chandigarh*               |          114 |                 9 |                10 |                                                             1 |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli*      |          491 |                28 |                30 |                                                             2 |
| Daman &Diu*               |          111 |                10 |                10 |                                                             0 |
| Lakshadweep*              |           30 |                 4 |                 2 |                                                            -2 |
| Puducherry*               |          490 |                27 |                27 |                                                             0 |
| Total                     |      3287469 |             92572 |             93815 |                                                          1243 |