Lok Sabha Question No. 3322 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-13
Subject: Illegal Cutting of Forests
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ashok Kumar Rawat

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3322

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2020

## Illegal Cutting of Forests

## 3322.  SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  there  is  an  adverse  effect  on  environment  due  to illegal cutting of forest in the country;
- (b) if so, the percentage of decline in forest cover noticed during the last three years as on date, State-wise; and
- (c) the efforts made by the Government to check the illegal cutting of forests and the details of the talks held with the State Governments in this regard during the last three years till date?

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

- (a) to  (c) Protection and management of forests and trees is primarily the responsibility of the States and UTs. State Governments/Union Territory administration take appropriate action regarding illegal cutting of trees as per the provisions of Indian Forest Act, 1927, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, various acts of State/UT and the rules and regulations  made  thereunder.  No  specific  study  on  impact  of  felling  of  trees  on environment has been carried out by the ministry.

Forest and Tree Cover assessment for the country is carried out every two years by Forest Surveyof India and the findings are published as India State of Forest Report (ISFR). Based on last three ISFR (ISFR 2015, ISFR 2017 and ISFR 2019), there is an overall increase of 10,754 square kilometre (km 2 ) in the forest and tree cover in the  country.  Some  decline  in  forest  cover  has  been  observed  in  only  a  few States/UTs  in  the  ISFR-2019  as  compared  to  ISFR-2017,  including  inArunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim due to various reasons such as  shifting  cultivation,  developmental  activities  such  as  mining,  construction  of dams,  road  and  railway  network,  etc.  Details  of  State/UT  wise  forest  cover  are annexed.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change provides financial assistance to  the  States  and  UTs  for  protection  and  management  of  forests  under  Centrally Sponsored  Schemes  such  as  Forest  Fire  Protection  and  Management  Scheme, Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat (IDWH), etc. The aim is to supplement the efforts of the States and UTs towards protection and management of forests.

****

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3322 due for answer on 13.02.2020 regarding 'Illegal Cutting of Forests'

| States/UTs          | Forest Cover (in square kilometre)   | Forest Cover (in square kilometre)   | Forest Cover (in square kilometre)   |
|---------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| States/UTs          | ISFR 2015                            | ISFR 2017                            | ISFR 2019                            |
| Andhra Pradesh      | 24424                                | 28147                                | 29137                                |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 67248                                | 66964                                | 66688                                |
| Assam               | 27623                                | 28105                                | 28327                                |
| Bihar               | 7288                                 | 7299                                 | 7306                                 |
| Chhattisgarh        | 55586                                | 55547                                | 55611                                |
| Delhi               | 188.77                               | 192.41                               | 195.44                               |
| Goa                 | 2224                                 | 2229                                 | 2237                                 |
| Gujarat             | 14660                                | 14757                                | 14857                                |
| Haryana             | 1584                                 | 1588                                 | 1602                                 |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 14696                                | 15100                                | 15434                                |
| Jammu &Kashmir      | 22988                                | 23241                                | 23612                                |
| Jharkhand           | 23478                                | 23553                                | 23611                                |
| Karnataka           | 36421                                | 37550                                | 38575                                |
| Kerala              | 19239                                | 20321                                | 21144                                |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 77462                                | 77414                                | 77482                                |
| Maharashtra         | 50628                                | 50682                                | 50778                                |
| Manipur             | 16994                                | 17346                                | 16847                                |
| Meghalaya           | 17217                                | 17146                                | 17119                                |
| Mizoram             | 18748                                | 18186                                | 18006                                |
| Nagaland            | 12966                                | 12489                                | 12486                                |
| Odisha              | 50354                                | 51345                                | 51619                                |
| Punjab              | 1771                                 | 1837                                 | 1849                                 |
| Rajasthan           | 16171                                | 16572                                | 16630                                |
| Sikkim              | 3357                                 | 3344                                 | 3342                                 |
| Tamil Nadu          | 26345                                | 26281                                | 26364                                |
| Telangana           | 21591                                | 20419                                | 20582                                |
| Tripura             | 7811                                 | 7726                                 | 7726                                 |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 14461                                | 14679                                | 14806                                |
| Uttarakhand         | 24240                                | 24295                                | 24303                                |
| West Bengal         | 16828                                | 16847                                | 16902                                |
| A&N Islands         | 6751                                 | 6742                                 | 6743                                 |
| Chandigarh          | 22.03                                | 21.56                                | 22.03                                |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 206                                  | 207                                  | 207                                  |
| Daman &Diu          | 19.61                                | 20.49                                | 20.49                                |
| Lakshadweep         | 27.06                                | 27.1                                 | 27.1                                 |
| Puducherry          | 55.38                                | 53.67                                | 52.41                                |
| Grand Total         | 701673                               | 708273                               | 712249                               |