Lok Sabha Question No. 2876 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-03
Subject: Forest Land
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: NIHAL CHAND CHAUHAN

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  2876

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.08.2018

## Forest Land

## 2876.    SHRI NIHAL CHAND:

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

- (a) the  region-wise  total  area  of  land  reserved  for  forest  land  in  various  States/UTs  of  the country including Rajasthan;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  assessment  regarding  illegal  occupation/ encroachment of the said land for years and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether State  Governments have also been directed by the Union Government to take any action in this regard and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the other steps taken by the Government to free such land from encroachment?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)  &    (b)          As  per  India  State  of  Forest  Report-2017  published  by  Forest  Survey  of  India, Dehradun, the total Recorded Forest Area (RFA) of the country is 7,67,419 square kilometers as per Annexure.
- (c), (d) & (e)   Forests are managed by State Forest Departments as per the provisions of Indian Forest  Act,  1927 and  various  local  Acts  which  include  provisions  for  protection  of  forest from encroachment. The State Forest Departments are responsible for ensuring that forest areas are not encroached upon and encroachment, if any, are removed immediately as per the provisions of Indian Forest Act, 1927; Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and various local Acts of respective State/UT Governments and the rules and regulations made thereunder. State  Government  are  competent  to  take  appropriate  action  under  the  provisions  of  the Indian Forest Act 1927 and other local Acts to prevent and remove encroachments on forest land, if any. No report regarding illegal occupation / encroachment of forest land has been received in the Ministry during 2018

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## Annexure

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2876 due for answer on 03.08.2018 regarding 'Forest Land'

## Recorded Forest Areas (RFAs) in States and UTs as per ISFR-2017.

| State/ UT            | Geographical Area (GA)   | RFA (as revised by SFDs)   | RFA (as revised by SFDs)   | RFA (as revised by SFDs)   | Total RFA (2017)   | % of GA   |
|----------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|--------------------|-----------|
| State/ UT            | Geographical Area (GA)   | RF                         | PF                         | Unclassed Forests          |                    |           |
| Andhra Pradesh       | 162968                   | 31,959                     | 5069                       | 230                        | 37258              | 22.86     |
| Arunachal Pradesh    | 83,743                   | 10,589                     | 9,779                      | 31,039                     | 51,407             | 61.39     |
| Assam                | 78,438                   | 17,864                     | 0                          | 8,968                      | 26,832             | 34.21     |
| Bihar                | 94163                    | 693                        | 6183                       | 1                          | 6877               | 7.30      |
| Chhattisgarh         | 135192                   | 25,782                     | 24036                      | 9954                       | 59772              | 44.21     |
| Delhi                | 1,483                    | 78                         | 24                         | 0                          | 102                | 6.88      |
| Goa                  | 3,702                    | 253                        | 0                          | 972                        | 1225               | 33.09     |
| Gujarat              | 196,244                  | 14,373                     | 2886                       | 4388                       | 21647              | 11.03     |
| Haryana              | 44,212                   | 249                        | 1158                       | 152                        | 1559               | 3.53      |
| Himachal Pradesh     | 55,673                   | 1,898                      | 33130                      | 2005                       | 37033              | 66.52     |
| Jammu & Kashmir      | 222,236                  | 17,643                     | 2551                       | 36                         | 20230              | 9.10      |
| Jharkhand            | 79,716                   | 4,387                      | 19185                      | 33                         | 23605              | 29.61     |
| Karnataka            | 191,791                  | 28,690                     | 3931                       | 5663                       | 38284              | 19.96     |
| Kerala               | 38,852                   | 11,309                     | 0                          | 0                          | 11309              | 29.11     |
| Madhya Pradesh       | 308,252                  | 61,886                     | 31098                      | 1705                       | 94689              | 30.72     |
| Maharashtra          | 307,713                  | 49,546                     | 6733                       | 5300                       | 61579              | 20.01     |
| Manipur              | 22,327                   | 1,467                      | 4,171                      | 11,780                     | 17,418             | 78.01     |
| Meghalaya            | 22,429                   | 1,113                      | 12                         | 8,371                      | 9,496              | 42.34     |
| Mizoram              | 21,081                   | 4,483                      | 0                          | 1,158                      | 5,641              | 26.76     |
| Nagaland             | 16,579                   | 234                        | 0                          | 8,389                      | 8,623              | 52.01     |
| Odisha               | 155,707                  | 36049                      | 25133                      | 22                         | 61204              | 39.31     |
| Punjab               | 50,362                   | 44                         | 1137                       | 1903                       | 3084               | 6.12      |
| Rajasthan            | 342,239                  | 12475                      | 18217                      | 2045                       | 32737              | 9.57      |
| Sikkim               | 7,096                    | 5452                       | 389                        | 0                          | 5,841              | 82.31     |
| Tamil Nadu           | 130,060                  | 20293                      | 1782                       | 802                        | 22877              | 17.59     |
| Telangana            | 112,077                  | 20353                      | 5939                       | 612                        | 26904              | 24.00     |
| Tripura              | 10,486                   | 4175                       | 2                          | 2,117                      | 6,294              | 60.02     |
| Uttar Pradesh        | 240,928                  | 12071                      | 1157                       | 3354                       | 16582              | 6.88      |
| Uttarakhand          | 53,483                   | 26547                      | 9885                       | 1568                       | 38000              | 71.05     |
| West Bengal          | 88,752                   | 7054                       | 3772                       | 1053                       | 11879              | 13.38     |
| A&N Islands          | 8,249                    | 5613                       | 1558                       | 0                          | 7171               | 86.93     |
| Chandigarh           | 114                      | 32                         | 0                          | 3                          | 35                 | 30.70     |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 491                      | 199                        | 5                          | 0                          | 204                | 41.55     |
| Daman & Diu          | 111                      | 0                          | 0                          | 8                          | 8                  | 7.21      |
| Lakshadweep          | 30                       | 0                          | 0                          | 0                          | 0                  | 0.00      |
| Puducherry           | 490                      | 0                          | 2                          | 11                         | 13                 | 2.65      |
| Total                | 32,87,469                | 4,34,705                   | 2,19,432                   | 1,13,881                   | 7,67,419           | 23.34     |

(Area in sq km)