Lok Sabha Question No. 2194 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-23
Subject: National Forest Policy 2018
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sudheer Gupta, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik, Shrirang Appa Barne, Bidyut Baran Mahato

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 2194 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.09.2020

## National Forest Policy 2018

## 2194.   SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI SANJAY SADASHIVRAO MANDLIK:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

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

- (a) the  total  land  under  the  coverage  of  forest/trees  across  the  country,  as  on  date, State/UTwise;
- (b) whether the Government drafted a new National Forest Policy (NFP), 2018;
- (c) if so, the details alongwith the aims and objectives thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has elicited comments/ suggestions on the draft NFP, 2018 from various stakeholders and if so, the details and the outcome thereof;
- (e) whether the new National Forest Policy has permitted the public to grow, harvest and market trees on government-owned lands and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the time by which the new NFP will come into force?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Forest  Survey of India,  Dehradun  carries  out  the  assessment  of forest  cover  of  the country  biennially  and  the  findings  are  published  in  India  State  of  Forest  Report (ISFR). As per the latest report i.e. ISFR-2019, the total forest and tree cover in the country is 8, 07, 276 (forest cover:- 7,12,249 (21.67%) tree cover 95,027 (2.89%)) which is  24.56  %  of  the  geographical  area  of  the  country.  There  is  an  increase  of 5,188 square kilometre (forest cover 3976 square kilometre, tree cover 1212 square kilometre)  of  total  forest  and  tree  cover  compared  to  that  of  ISFR-2017.  The State/UT-wise details of forest cover and tree cover are attached as Annexure 1.
- (b) to (f) National  Forest  Policy,  1988  is  the  main  policy  document  containing  guiding principles for conservation, protection and management of forests in the country.

A draft was prepared to update the existing National Forest Policy, 1988 after wide consultations with all major stakeholders. The draft was circulated to all concerned Central  Ministries/Departments  and  State/UT  Governments.  The  draft  was  also placed  in  the  public  domain  in  March,  2018  for  inviting  comments  from  various stakeholders  in  the  public/private  Sectors,  NGOs,  civil  societies,  experts  and  other concerned individuals.

These comments/suggestions were considered  and the draft has been  appropriately revised in respect of various aspects including improving livelihoods of people based on  sustainable  management  of  forests  for  provision  of  ecosystem  services  and ecological security, increasing productivity of forests, promotion of agro-forestry and farm-forestry, addressing Climate Change issues, etc.

The  Government  has  not  set  any  time  limit  to  update  the  National  Forest  Policy, 1988. As of now the existing National Forest Policy, 1988 is in operation.

***

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2194 DUE FOR 23.09.2020 REGARDING NATIONAL FOREST POLICY 2018

Forest Cover and Tree Cover in States/UTs as per India State of Forest Report (ISFR)

(Area in square kilometre)

| States/UTs          | Geographical Area   | Total Forest Cover 2019   | Total tree Cover 2019   |
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|-------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      | 1,62,968            | 29,137                    | 3,914                   |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 83,743              | 66,688                    | 848                     |
| Assam               | 78,438              | 28,327                    | 1,408                   |
| Bihar               | 94,163              | 7,306                     | 2,003                   |
| Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,192            | 55,611                    | 4,248                   |
| Delhi               | 1,483               | 195.44                    | 129                     |
| Goa                 | 3,702               | 2,237                     | 272                     |
| Gujarat             | 1,96,244            | 14,857                    | 6,912                   |
| Haryana             | 44,212              | 1,602                     | 1,565                   |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673              | 15,434                    | 829                     |
| Jammu &Kashmir*     | 2,22,236            | 23,612                    | 7,944                   |
| Jharkhand           | 79,716              | 23,611                    | 2,657                   |
| Karnataka           | 1,91,791            | 38,575                    | 6,257                   |
| Kerala              | 38,852              | 21,144                    | 2,936                   |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,252            | 77,482                    | 8,339                   |
| Maharashtra         | 3,07,713            | 50,778                    | 10,806                  |
| Manipur             | 22,327              | 16,847                    | 173                     |
| Meghalaya           | 22,429              | 17,119                    | 710                     |
| Mizoram             | 21,081              | 18,006                    | 441                     |
| Nagaland            | 16,579              | 12,486                    | 362                     |
| Odisha              | 1,55,707            | 51,619                    | 4,648                   |
| Punjab              | 50,362              | 1,849                     | 1,592                   |
| Rajasthan           | 3,42,239            | 16,630                    | 8,112                   |
| Sikkim              | 7,096               | 3,342                     | 36                      |
| Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,060            | 26,364                    | 4,830                   |
| Telangana           | 112077              | 20,582                    | 2,514                   |
| Tripura             | 10,486              | 7,726                     | 231                     |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928            | 14,806                    | 7,342                   |
| Uttarakhand         | 53,483              | 24,303                    | 841                     |
| West Bengal         | 88,752              | 16,902                    | 2,006                   |
| A&N Islands         | 8,249               | 6,743                     | 41                      |
| Chandigarh          | 114                 | 22.03                     | 25                      |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491                 | 207                       | 28                      |
| Daman &Diu          | 111                 | 20.49                     | 5                       |
| Lakshadweep         | 30                  | 27.10                     | 0.29                    |
| Puducherry          | 490                 | 52.41                     | 23                      |
| Grand Total         | 32,87,469           | 7,12,249                  | 95,027                  |