Lok Sabha Question No. 6625 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-06
Subject: National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB)
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: GOWDAR MALLIKARJUNAPPA SIDDESHWARA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTIO N NO.  6625

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.04.2018

## National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB)

## 6625.   SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWARA:

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

- (a) the extent to which the National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB) has been able to achieve the objectives for which it was set up about 25 years ago;
- (b) the details of special schemes executed in the past and those in progress by the Board;
- (c) whether the Government has undertaken any mid-term evaluation of the objectives set for the Board to further fine-tune them in view of changed situations; and
- d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB) was set up in August 1992 for promoting afforestation, tree planting, ecological restoration, eco-development activities and to foster people's participation in afforestation and forest management in the  country.  National  Afforestation  Programme  (NAP)  is  the  major  afforestation programme implemented by NAEB for regeneration of degraded forests and adjoining areas  through  participatory  approach.  An  area  of  over  21  lakh  hectares  has  been sanctioned  so  far  for  plantation  with  an  expenditure  of  about  Rs.3779 crore  under  the programme,  since 2000-2001.  The  major  benefits  accrued  through  the  scheme  are successful afforestation activities in degraded forest land, soil and moisture conservation works, significant impact in improvement of livelihoods, asset creation in villages etc.

As per India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017, there is a net increase of 6778 sq. km. in  the  forest  cover as  compared to the previous assessment of 2015.   The increase in forest  cover  can  be  attributed  to  conservation  measures  or  management  interventions such as afforestation activities, participation of locals for better protection etc . Moreover it  is  also  evident  from  the  successive  ISFRs  that  the  forest  cover  has  been  stabilized despite biotic pressure for which one of the reasons is the successful implementation of afforestation  schemes  by  NAEB.  NAEB  through  its  schemes  has  thus  contributed significantly in sustaining the increase in forest cover and checking forest degradation. It has also successfully institutionalized people's participation in afforestation by establishment  and  involvement  of about  42,000  Joint  Forest  Management  Committees (JFMCs) in various afforestation programmes implemented by NAEB.

- (b) The  schemes  like Integrated Afforestation  and  Eco-development  Project  Scheme (IAEPS), Area Oriented Fuel wood and Fodder Projects Scheme (AOFFPS), Conservation  and  Development  of  Non-Timber  Forest  Produce  including  Medicinal Plants Scheme (NTFPS), Association of ST and rural poor in regeneration of degraded forests on usufruct sharing basis scheme (ASTRPS) were the few schemes implemented in the past by NAEB. The NAP is the ongoing scheme which is being implemented by merging of the above schemes since 2000-01.
- (c) & (d) The schemes implemented by NAEB have been reviewed time to time to fine-tune the objectives of NAEB.  National Afforestation Programme (NAP) has been reviewed and  is  being  implemented  since 2010-11 under  the  revised  guidelines  which interalia addresses the concern of forest cover by the use of  Quality Planting Material (QPM). The  programme  is  monitored  by  Remote  Sensing  &  Geographic  Information  Systems (GIS)  using  geo-coordinates  of  NAP  plantations  and  also  their  periodic  independent evaluation.

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