Lok Sabha Question No. 3440 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-13
Subject: Forest Land in Maharashtra
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sadashiv Kisan Lokhande, Bharti Pravin Pawar

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:  3440

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2020

## Forest Land in Maharashtra

## 3440.    SHRI SADASHIV KISAN  LOKHANDE: DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR:

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

- (a) the total area of forest land in Maharashtra at present;
- (b) the area of forest land as per rule mandated in the districts of Maharashtra;
- (c) whether all the districts have forest land as mandated by guidelines/studies; and
- (d) if not, the names of the districts of Maharashtra which do not have forest land mandated as per rule along with the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b)  As per India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019, total recorded forest area in Maharashtra State  is 61,579 square kilometer (km 2 ) which is 20.01% of its total geographical area.

As per the National Forest Policy 1988, the national goal should be to have a minimum of one- third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover. In the hill and in mountainous  regions,  the  aim  should  be  to  maintain  two-third  of  the  area  under  such cover  in  order  to  prevent  erosion  and  land  degradation  and  to  ensure  the  stability  of fragile eco-system.

- (c) & (d) As per ISFR 2019, the total forest cover of Maharashtra is 50,778 km 2 which is 16.50% of the total geographical area of the State . District wise forest cover of the Maharashtra is given in Annexure.

To  increase  the  forest  and  tree  cover  further  in  the  country  including  in  the  State  of Maharashtra,  Ministry  has  been  taking  several  initiatives.  These  include  Centrally Sponsored Schemes such as National Afforestation Programme, National Mission for a

Green  India  and  Development  of  Wildlife  Habitats.  Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund Rules, 2018 also contain provisions for taking up assisted natural regeneration, artificial regeneration and Silvicultural operations in forests which contribute to increase in forest cover.  Afforestation  and  tree  planting  activities,  including  in  non-forest  areas,  are  also taken up  under  various programmes/funding  sources  of  other  ministries,  such  as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and under the schemes/plans of States and Union Territories (UTs).

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Annexure Annexure referred to in reply to part (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3440

## due for answer on 13.03.2020 regarding 'Forest Land in Maharashtra'

(Area in Km 2 )

|        | District wise Forest cover in the State of Maharashtra   | District wise Forest cover in the State of Maharashtra   | District wise Forest cover in the State of Maharashtra   | District wise Forest cover in the State of Maharashtra   |
|--------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No. | State                                                    | Geo-graphical Area                                       | Total Forest Cover As per ISFR 2019                      | Percentage of total geographical area                    |
| 1      | Ahmadnagar                                               | 17,048                                                   | 266.89                                                   | 1.57                                                     |
| 2      | Akola                                                    | 5,673                                                    | 340.37                                                   | 6.00                                                     |
| 3      | Amravati                                                 | 12,210                                                   | 3,167.77                                                 | 25.94                                                    |
| 4      | Aurangabad                                               | 10,131                                                   | 567.93                                                   | 5.61                                                     |
| 5      | Bhandara                                                 | 4,087                                                    | 998.92                                                   | 24.44                                                    |
| 6      | Bid                                                      | 10,693                                                   | 164.03                                                   | 1.53                                                     |
| 7      | Buldana                                                  | 9,661                                                    | 591.60                                                   | 6.12                                                     |
| 8      | Chandrapur                                               | 11,443                                                   | 4,054.46                                                 | 35.43                                                    |
| 9      | DhuleT                                                   | 7,195                                                    | 301.27                                                   | 4.19                                                     |
| 10     | Gadchiroli                                               | 14,412                                                   | 9,916.94                                                 | 68.81                                                    |
| 11     | Gondiya                                                  | 5,234                                                    | 1,938.59                                                 | 37.04                                                    |
| 12     | Hingoli                                                  | 4,827                                                    | 110.01                                                   | 2.28                                                     |
| 13     | Jalgaon                                                  | 11,765                                                   | 1,146.84                                                 | 9.75                                                     |
| 14     | Jalna                                                    | 7,694                                                    | 36.48                                                    | 0.47                                                     |
| 15     | Kolhapur                                                 | 7,685                                                    | 1,786.32                                                 | 23.24                                                    |
| 16     | Latur                                                    | 7,157                                                    | 13.02                                                    | 0.18                                                     |
| 17     | Mumbai                                                   | 157                                                      | 3.00                                                     | 1.91                                                     |
| 18     | Mumbai Suburban                                          | 446                                                      | 139.86                                                   | 31.36                                                    |
| 19     | Nagpur                                                   | 9,892                                                    | 2,000.38                                                 | 20.22                                                    |
| 20     | Nanded                                                   | 10,528                                                   | 936.76                                                   | 8.90                                                     |
| 21     | Nandurbar                                                | 5,955                                                    | 1,195.99                                                 | 20.08                                                    |
| 22     | Nashik                                                   | 15,530                                                   | 1,076.55                                                 | 6.93                                                     |
| 23     | Osmanabad                                                | 7,569                                                    | 49.66                                                    | 0.66                                                     |
| 24     | Parbhani                                                 | 6,214                                                    | 40.43                                                    | 0.65                                                     |
| 25     | Pune                                                     | 15,643                                                   | 1,710.86                                                 | 10.94                                                    |
| 26     | Raigarh                                                  | 7,152                                                    | 2,939.46                                                 | 41.10                                                    |
| 27     | Ratnagiri                                                | 8,208                                                    | 4,212.90                                                 | 51.33                                                    |
| 28     | Sangli                                                   | 8,572                                                    | 150.13                                                   | 1.75                                                     |
| 29     | Satara                                                   | 10,480                                                   | 1,278.37                                                 | 12.20                                                    |
| 30     | Sindhudurg                                               | 5,207                                                    | 2,827.98                                                 | 54.31                                                    |
| 31     | Solapur                                                  | 14,895                                                   | 49.67                                                    | 0.33                                                     |
| 32     | Thane                                                    | 9,558                                                    | 2,998.09                                                 | 31.37                                                    |
| 33     | Wardha                                                   | 6,309                                                    | 861.95                                                   | 13.66                                                    |
| 34     | Washim                                                   | 4,901                                                    | 296.76                                                   | 6.06                                                     |
| 35     | Yavatmal                                                 | 13,582                                                   | 2,607.32                                                 | 19.20                                                    |
|        | Total                                                    | 3,07,713                                                 | 50,777.56                                                | 16.50                                                    |