Lok Sabha Question No. 3502 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-08
Subject: Percentage of Forest Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RABINDRA KUMAR JENA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  3502

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2017

## Percentage of Forest Cover

## 3502.    SHRI RABINDRA KUMAR JENA:

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

- (a) the all India percentage of the total forest cover and tree cover in India during the last five years, State-wise;
- (b) the area of forest land in hectares cleared and diverted for non-forest purposes during the said period; and
- (c) the categories for which the land was diverted and the names of the States thereunder?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (DR. HARSH VARDHAN):

- (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. As per the last three reports i.e. India State of Forest Report (ISFR), the total forest cover and tree  cover  outside  forest  alongwith  percentage  to  the  total  geographical  area  of  the country are as follows:-

|   ISFR | Forest Cover in square kilometer and percentage   | Tree cover outside forest in square kilometer and percentage   |
|--------|---------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|   2015 | 7,01,673 (21.34%)                                 | 92,572 (2.82%)                                                 |
|   2013 | 6,97,898 (21.23%)                                 | 91,266 (2.78%)                                                 |
|   2011 | 6,92,027 (21.03%)                                 | 90,844 (2.76%)                                                 |

The  detailed  list  showing  forest  cover  and  tree  cover  States/UTs  wise  is  given  in Annexure I & II respectively.

- (b) & (c) The area of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose from 01.01.2012 to 02.08.2017 is 75803.53  hectares.  The  name  of  States/UTs  and  categories  for  which  the  land  was diverted is given in Annexure-III and IV respectively.

**********

## Annexure I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3502 due for answer on 08.08.2017 regarding 'Percentage of Forest Cover'

## Total Forest Cover in States/UTs as per India State of Forest Report (ISFR)

(Area in square Kilometers)

| States/UTs          | Geographical Area   | Total Forest Cover 2011   | Total Forest Cover 2013   | Total Forest Cover 2015   |
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      | 1,60,204            | 46389 (include Telangana) | 24,357                    | 24,424                    |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 83,743              | 67410                     | 67321                     | 67,248                    |
| Assam               | 78,438              | 27673                     | 27671                     | 27,623                    |
| Bihar               | 94,163              | 6845                      | 7291                      | 7,288                     |
| Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,191            | 55674                     | 55621                     | 55,586                    |
| Delhi               | 1,483               | 176.2                     | 180                       | 189                       |
| Goa                 | 3,702               | 2219                      | 2219                      | 2,224                     |
| Gujarat             | 1,96,022            | 14619                     | 14653                     | 14,660                    |
| Haryana             | 44,212              | 1608                      | 1586                      | 1,584                     |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673              | 14679                     | 14683                     | 14,696                    |
| Jammu& Kashmir      | 2,22,236            | 22539                     | 22538                     | 22,988                    |
| Jharkhand           | 79,714              | 22977                     | 23473                     | 23,478                    |
| Karnataka           | 1,91,791            | 36194                     | 36132                     | 36,421                    |
| Kerala              | 38,863              | 17300                     | 17922                     | 19,239                    |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,245            | 77700                     | 77522                     | 77,462                    |
| Maharashtra         | 3,07,713            | 50646                     | 50632                     | 50,628                    |
| Manipur             | 22,327              | 17090                     | 16990                     | 16,994                    |
| Meghalaya           | 22,429              | 17275                     | 17288                     | 17,217                    |
| Mizoram             | 21,081              | 19117                     | 19054                     | 18,748                    |
| Nagaland            | 16,579              | 13318                     | 13044                     | 12,966                    |
| Odisha              | 1,55,707            | 48903                     | 50347                     | 50,354                    |
| Punjab              | 50,362              | 1764                      | 1772                      | 1,771                     |
| Rajasthan           | 3,42,239            | 16087                     | 16086                     | 16,171                    |
| Sikkim              | 7,096               | 3359                      | 3358                      | 3,357                     |
| Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,058            | 23625                     | 23844                     | 26,345                    |
| Telangana           | 114,865             | -                         | 21759                     | 21,591                    |
| Tripura             | 10,486              | 7977                      | 7866                      | 7,811                     |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928            | 14338                     | 14349                     | 14,461                    |
| Uttarakhand         | 53,483              | 24496                     | 24508                     | 24,240                    |
| West Bengal         | 88,752              | 12995                     | 16805                     | 16,828                    |
| A&N Islands         | 8,249               | 6724                      | 6711                      | 6,751                     |
| Chandigarh          | 114                 | 17                        | 17.26                     | 22,.03                    |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491                 | 211                       | 213                       | 206                       |
| Daman &Diu          | 112                 | 6                         | 9                         | 19.61                     |
| Lakshadweep         | 32                  | 27                        | 27.06                     | 27.06                     |
| Puducherry          | 480                 | 50                        | 50.06                     | 55.38                     |
| Grand Total         | 32,87,263           | 692027                    | 697898                    | 701,673                   |

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3502 due for answer on 08.08.2017 regarding 'Percentage of Forest Cover'

## Total Tree Cover State/ UTs wise from 2011 to 2015 as per India State of Forest Report (Area in square kilometer)

| States/UTs          |   Geographical Area | Total Tree Cover 2011   | Total Tree Cover 2013   | Total Tree Cover 2015   |
|---------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      |              275069 | 7152                    | 7187                    | 3965                    |
| Arunachal Pradesh   |               83743 | 549                     | 660                     | 761                     |
| Assam               |               78438 | 1564                    | 1582                    | 1,613                   |
| Bihar               |               94163 | 2369                    | 2164                    | 2,182                   |
| Chhattisgarh        |              135191 | 3866                    | 3463                    | 3,629                   |
| Delhi               |                1483 | 120                     | 118                     | 111                     |
| Goa                 |                3702 | 286                     | 334                     | 325                     |
| Gujarat             |              196022 | 7837                    | 8358                    | 7,914                   |
| Haryana             |               44212 | 1395                    | 1282                    | 1,355                   |
| Himachal Pradesh    |               55673 | 623                     | 697                     | 757                     |
| Jammu &Kashmir      |              222236 | 6550                    | 7664                    | 8,354                   |
| Jharkhand           |               79714 | 2914                    | 2629                    | 2,783                   |
| Karnataka           |              191791 | 5733                    | 5920                    | 5,552                   |
| Kerala              |               38863 | 2755                    | 3146                    | 2,951                   |
| Madhya Pradesh      |              308245 | 7090                    | 7087                    | 7,773                   |
| Maharashtra         |              307713 | 9079                    | 9142                    | 9,558                   |
| Manipur             |               22327 | 193                     | 224                     | 243                     |
| Meghalaya           |               22429 | 578                     | 668                     | 710                     |
| Mizoram             |               21081 | 190                     | 223                     | 535                     |
| Nagaland            |               16579 | 322                     | 372                     | 381                     |
| Odisha              |              155707 | 4301                    | 4013                    | 3,986                   |
| Punjab              |               50362 | 1699                    | 1499                    | 1,544                   |
| Rajasthan           |              342239 | 8272                    | 7860                    | 8,269                   |
| Sikkim              |                7096 | 25                      | 31                      | 35                      |
| Tamil Nadu          |              130058 | 4718                    | 4866                    | 4,505                   |
| Telangana           |              114865 | -                       | -                       | 2,549                   |
| Tripura             |               10486 | 184                     | 213                     | 233                     |
| Uttar Pradesh       |              240928 | 7382                    | 6895                    | 7,044                   |
| Uttarakhand         |               53483 | 642                     | 703                     | 752                     |
| West Bengal         |               88752 | 2335                    | 2144                    | 2,088                   |
| Andaman &Nicobar    |                8249 | 39                      | 41                      | 37                      |
| Chandigarh          |                 114 | 10                      | 10                      | 9                       |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli |                 491 | 29                      | 29                      | 28                      |
| Daman &Diu          |                 112 | 9                       | 9                       | 10                      |
| Lakshadweep         |                  32 | 5                       | 5                       | 4                       |
| Puducherry          |                 480 | 31                      | 29                      | 27                      |
| Grand Total         |             3287263 | 90,844                  | 91,266                  | 92,572                  |

## Annexure III

## Annexure referred to in reply to part  (b) & (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3502 due for answer on 08.08.2017 regarding 'Percentage of Forest Cover'

## Statement Showing total area diverted (State wise) for forest land under FC, Act 1980 during the period 01/01/2012 to 02/08/2017.

| S. No.   | STATE / UT          | Approved     | Approved                  |
|----------|---------------------|--------------|---------------------------|
| S. No.   | STATE / UT          | No. of Cases | Total Land Diverted (Ha.) |
| 1        | Andaman and Nicobar | 16           | 34.04                     |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh      | 38           | 2864.99                   |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh   | 43           | 3165.49                   |
| 4        | Assam               | 3            | 130.48                    |
| 5        | Bihar               | 66           | 699.90                    |
| 6        | Chandigarh          | 5            | 40.43                     |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh        | 46           | 7398.30                   |
| 8        | Dadar &Nagar Haveli | 5            | 7.64                      |
| 9        | Daman and Diu       | 0            | 0.00                      |
| 10       | Delhi               | 4            | 15.15                     |
| 11       | Goa                 | 1            | 0.81                      |
| 12       | Gujarat             | 146          | 1784.72                   |
| 13       | Haryana             | 983          | 8324.74                   |
| 14       | Himachal Pradesh    | 84           | 1142.03                   |
| 15       | Jammu and Kashmir   | 0            | 0.00                      |
| 16       | Jharkhand           | 42           | 5313.71                   |
| 17       | Karnataka           | 64           | 904.63                    |
| 18       | Kerala              | 11           | 30.98                     |
| 19       | Lakshadweep         | 0            | 0.00                      |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh      | 133          | 9403.65                   |
| 21       | Maharashtra         | 77           | 5855.02                   |
| 22       | Manipur             | 13           | 2240.16                   |
| 23       | Meghalaya           | 5            | 374.51                    |
| 24       | Mizoram             | 3            | 458.76                    |
| 25       | Nagaland            | 0            | 0.00                      |
| 26       | Orissa              | 83           | 8444.80                   |
| 27       | Pondicherry         | 0            | 0.00                      |
| 28       | Punjab              | 666          | 881.78                    |
| 29       | Rajasthan           | 62           | 4388.98                   |
| 30       | Sikkim              | 90           | 162.70                    |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu          | 20           | 587.56                    |
| 32       | Telangana           | 32           | 6497.97                   |
| 33       | Tripura             | 22           | 129.89                    |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh       | 73           | 1565.68                   |
| 35       | Uttarakhand         | 84           | 2726.91                   |
| 36       | West Bengal         | 11           | 227.10                    |
| Total    | Total               | 2931         | 75803.53                  |

## Annexure IV

Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) & (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3502 due for answer on 08.08.2017 regarding 'Percentage of Forest Cover'

Statement showing total area diverted (Category-wise) for Forest Land under FC Act, 1980 during the period 01.01.2012 to 02.08.2017.

|                            |          | Approved     | Approved                  |
|----------------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------------|
| S. NO.                     | CATEGORY | No. of Cases | Total Land Diverted (Ha.) |
| 1 Borehole Prospecting     | 4        | 50.99        |                           |
| 2 Defence                  | 19       | 2471.85      |                           |
| 3 Dispensary/Hospital      | 8        |              | 42.49                     |
| Disputed Settlement Claims | 0        | 0.00         | 4                         |
| Drinking Water             | 45       | 124.69       | 5                         |
| Encroachments              | 0        | 0.00         | 6                         |
| Forest Village Conversion  | 7        | 966.20       | 7                         |
| Hydel                      | 39       | 2391.07      | 8                         |
| Industry                   | 49       | 75.02        | 9                         |
| Irrigation                 | 101      | 10347.07     | 10                        |
| Mining                     | 141      | 25507.80     | 11                        |
| Quarrying                  | 4        | 11.47        | 12                        |
| Railway                    | 55       | 1324.26      | 13                        |
| Rehabilitation             | 5        | 754.18       | 14                        |
| 15 Road                    | 629      | 8662.73      |                           |
| 16 School                  | 15       | 16.21        |                           |
| 17                         | 16       | 2725.01      | Thermal                   |
| 18 Transmission            | 321      | 7632.21      | Line                      |
| 19 Village Electricity     | 5        | 0.50         |                           |
| 20 Wind Power              | 11       | 517.47       |                           |
| 21 Others                  | 1457     | 12182.31     |                           |
| Total                      | Total    | 2931         | 75803.53                  |