Lok Sabha Question No. 5531 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-26
Subject: Forest Land
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Naba (Hira) Kumar Sarania

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No.5531

TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.07.2019

## Forest Land

## 5531.   SHRI NABA KUMAR SARANIA :

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

- (a) whether  no  Government  scheme  is  implemented  on  forest  land  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (b) the details of schemes being implemented by his Ministry;
- (c) the total  area  of  forests  under encroachment along with the action taken against persons responsible for such encroachment;
- (d) whether the Government has formulated any scheme for the betterment of tribals living in forest areas and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the tribals living in the forest areas have ever caused any damage to the forest and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)& (b) Government  of  India  implements  various  schemes  for  conservation  and development of forest areas, such as National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission (GIM) being implemented by Ministry of Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change.  Afforestation  and  conservation activities are also taken up under various programmes/funding sources such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana (PMKSY), Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund,  National  Adaptation  Fund  for  Climate Change (NAFCC), Climate Change Action Programme, Forest Fire Prevention and Management, Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats.
- (c) The  State/UTs  wise  details  of  forest  areas  under  encroachment  as  per  the information  received  from  the  State/UTs  is annexed. The  responsibility  of protection  and  management  of  forests  primarily  lies  with  the  State  Forest Departments.For  control  and  prevention  of  encroachment  over  forest  land, action is taken under Indian Forest Act, 1927, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, State Specific Forest Acts and Rules & guidelines made thereunder.
- (d) As  per  the  information  in  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs,  there  is  no  new policy/scheme for the economic upliftment of tribals at this stage. However, following  schemes/programmes  are  being  implemented  by  the  Ministry  of Tribal Affairs for betterment of Schedule Tribes (ST):-

|   S. No. | Names of Schemes / Programmes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|        2 | Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|        3 | National Overseas Scholarship for ST students for studying abroad                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|        4 | National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST students (a) Scholarship for Higher Education (earlier known as Top Class Education For ST Students). (b) Fellowship (earlier known as Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Scheme for ST students). |
|        5 | Grants-in-aid to Voluntary Organisationsworking for welfare of STs                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|        6 | Strengthening Education among ST Girls in Low Literacy Districts                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|        7 | Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        8 | Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution of India                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|        9 | Special Central Assistance(SCA) to Tribal Sub-Scheme(TSS)                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|       10 | Grants-in-aid to Tribal Research Institutes                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|       11 | Institutional Support for Development and Marketing of Tribal Products/Produce                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|       12 | Support to National/State Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporations                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|       13 | Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Mechanism of marketing of Development of Value Chain for Minor Forest Produce)                                                                                                                                                  |
|       14 | Research Information & Mass Education, Tribal Festival and Others                                                                                                                                                                                               |

(e) Ministry  of  Environment,  Forests  and  Climate  Change  does  not  have  any information on any damage causedin forest by the tribals.

***

## Annexure

## Annexure referred in the answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no. 5531 by NABA KUMAR SARANIA is due for answer on 26.07.2019 regarding 'Forest Land'.

| S. No.   | Name of States/UTs   |   Area under Encroachment (in ha.) (As reported by the Stat/UT) |
|----------|----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh       |                                                   1690.72       |
| 2        | Bihar                |                                                    132.21       |
| 3        | Chhattisgarh         |                                                  19330.6        |
| 4        | Gujarat              |                                                  34791          |
| 5        | Goa                  |                                                      0          |
| 6        | Haryana              |                                                     17.53       |
| 7        | Himachal Pradesh     |                                                   2339.02       |
| 8        | Jharkhand            |                                                  26496          |
| 9        | Jammu &Kashmir       |                                                  10279.3        |
| 10       | Karnataka            |                                                  28001.2        |
| 11       | Kerala               |                                                   7801.1        |
| 12       | Madhya Pradesh       |                                                 534717          |
| 13       | Maharashtra          |                                                  60504.1        |
| 14       | Odisha               |                                                  78505.1        |
| 15       | Punjab               |                                                   8175.31       |
| 16       | Rajasthan            |                                                  10839.8        |
| 17       | Tamil Nadu           |                                                  15041.6        |
| 18       | Telangana            |                                                   3056          |
| 19       | Uttar Pradesh        |                                                  26125.3        |
| 20       | Uttarakhand          |                                                  10649.1        |
| 21       | West Bengal          |                                                  10214.8        |
| 22       | Arunachal Pradesh    |                                                  58636.1        |
| 23       | Assam                |                                                 317215          |
| 24       | Manipur              |                                                   6726.51       |
| 25       | Meghalaya            |                                                     13.97       |
| 26       | Mizoram              |                                                      8          |
| 27       | Nagaland             |                                                   2479.96       |
| 28       | Sikkim               |                                                   2817.21       |
| 29       | Tripura              |                                                      6.77       |
| 30       | A &NIslands          |                                                   4068.69       |
| 31       | Chandigarh           |                                                      0          |
| 32       | D&N Haveli           |                                                      0.08       |
| 33       | Daman &Diu           |                                                     87.83       |
| 34       | Lakshadweep          |                                                      0          |
| 35       | Delhi                |                                                    629.51       |
| 36       | Puducherry           |                                                      0          |
| Total    | Total                |                                                      1.2814e+06 |