Lok Sabha Question No. 3663 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-08
Subject: Plantation of Fruit Trees
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: GANESH SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTIO N

## NO.  3663

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08/08/2017

## Plantation of Fruit Trees

## 3663.  SHRI GANESH SINGH:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  plant  fruit  trees  like  mango,  jamun, guava, etc. on barren land road side of highways and on the sides of railway track and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has introduced any measures to combat degradation of forest and to achieve the target of 33 per cent forest cover out of the total geographical areas of the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiatives  to  include  tribal  people  or  forest dwellers in afforestation; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the measures to reduce the forest fires at the national levels?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR  ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

(a) The  MoEF&CC has issued an advisory to State Forest Departments for partnering with Railways and NHA I subject to the feasibility for taking up plantation of tress along the highway sides and vacant areas by the side of railway tracks.

As informed by  Ministry  of  Road  Transport  and  Highways,  fruit  trees  are  a  part  of  the plantation  schemes  within  the  Right  of  Way  of  all  National  Highway  projects.  The guidelines of the Indian  Road  Congress  as  well as  Green  Highways  (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy, 2015 have adequate provisions for plantation of fruit trees along highway sides.

As per the Ministry of Railways, generally the fruit bearing trees are not planted along the tracks due to safety hazards to the travelling public as stoning is done to get the fruits by the local public. Such trees are only planted in colonies.

(b) & (c) The National Forest Policy (NFP), 1988 emphasizes for a massive need -based and time bound programme of afforestation and tree planting with particular emphasis on fuel-  wood and fodder development, on all degraded and denuded lands in the country. The policy also mandates that about one- third of the total land area of the country should be under forest or tree cover.

In consonance with the NFP, this Ministry is implementing two major Tree Plantation/Afforestation  schemes  in  the  country i.e. National  Afforestation  Programme (NAP)  scheme  and  National  Mission  for  a  Green  India  (GIM).  While  NAP  is  being implemented for afforestation of degraded forest lands, GIM aims at improving the quality of  forest/increase  in  forest  cover  besides  cross-sectoral  activities  on  landscape  basis. These  Schemes  are  implemented  in  participatory  mode  under  Joint  Forest  Management (JFM) approach involving forest dwellers and tribal people.

Besides,  Tree  Plantation/Afforestation  activities  are  also  taken  up  cross-sectorally  by various  Departments,  NGOs,  Civil  Society,  Corporate  etc.  under  various  Centrally Sponsored  Schemes  and  also  under  different  State  Plan/Non  Plan  Schemes  including Externally Aided Projects.

(d) Protection and management of   forests from various threats including forest fire is primarily the responsibility of respective State/Union Territory  Governments.  The Ministry  issues  advisories  to  State  /U.T.  Governments  for  taking  effective  step  for preventing  and  managing  forest  fires.  Further,  the  Ministry  supplements  the  efforts  of State/Union  Territory  Governments  to  prevent  and  control  forest  fire  by  providing financial  assistance  under  the  Forest  Fire  Control  and  Management  component  of Centrally  Sponsored  Intensification  of  Forest  Management  Scheme.  Funds  under  the Scheme  are  largely  utilized  for  creation  and  maintenance  of  fire  lines,  construction  of watch  towers,  engagement  of  firewatchers,  assistance  to  Joint  Forest  Management Committees (JFMCs), construction of water storage structures, procurement of firefighting equipments,  fire  mapping  and  preparation  of  fire  management  plan  and  creation  of awareness regarding forest fire, etc.

Further  Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI),  a  subordinate  organization  of  this  Ministry  is disseminating alerts, since 2004, on forest fire location to all State /UT forest departments and other registered users using satellite based Remote Sensing technologies.

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