Lok Sabha Question No. 4380 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-19
Subject: Afforestation on unused Land
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ajay (Teni) Misra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 4380 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.07.2019

## Afforestation on unused Land

## 4380.   SHRI AJAY MISRA TENI:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to start any scheme to carry out afforestation on land lying unused in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the names of the States where the said scheme is proposed to be launched in the first phase; and
- (d) the time by which afforestation is targeted to be completed in various States?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) No specific scheme is proposed to carry out afforestation on land lying unused in the country by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) at present.

However, a massive need based and time bound programme of afforestation and tree planting on degraded and denuded land in the country, whether forest or non forest land  is  a  national  imperative  as  per  the  National  Forest  Policy  (NFP),  1988.  The policy  also  encourages  planting  of  trees  on  private  lands  under  State/corporate, institutional or private ownership along with raising of green belts in urban/ industrial areas.  The policy also encourages plantation of trees alongside roads, railway lines, rivers, streams, canals etc. under social forestry.

The  MoEF&CC  is  supporting  State/UT  Governments  to  take  up  afforestation programmes under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes such as National Afforestation  Programme  (NAP)  and  Green  India  Mission  (GIM).  Afforestation activities are also being taken up under various programmes/funding sources such as Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) and Compensatory Afforestation Fund.  Further  the  plantation  activities  outside  forest  areas  like  agro  forestry/  farm forestry /social forestry including massive plantation on all such lands are also being carried out cross-sectorally by various departments, Ministries, NGOs, Civil Society,

Corporate etc., under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and also under different State Plan/Non Plan Schemes including Externally Aided Projects.

With a view to promote tree plantation on unused Railway land along the Railway tracks and along the National Highways, Model Agreements were also issued by the Ministry to all States/UTs for entering into the agreements with concerned Railway Zones  in  States  and  NHAI  respectively  for  greening  of  such  unused  government lands.  The concerned State Forest Departments are taking up plantation activity on railway land in States like Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, etc.

Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification& Maintenance) Policy2015 of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways alsopromotes plantations along National Highways. Plantations are part of all National Highway projects which are undertaken  as  per  the  relevant  contract  provisions  within  the  Right  of  Way  of  a national highway.

(b) to (d) Question does not arise.

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