Lok Sabha Question No. 1900 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-19
Subject: Plantation of New Saplings
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTIO N NO. 1900

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.12.2022

## Plantation of New Saplings

## 1900.   SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  ensures  that  the  trees  felled  in  hilly  areas  as  well  as  in  the other areas of the country are replaced with new saplings;
- (b) if so, the number of saplings planted during the last three years and the current year and whether  any  complaints  have  been  received  for  not  planting  new  saplings  in  lieu  of those cut down for setting up industrial units, State-wise; and
- (c) if so, the action taken on these complaints and the amount spent in this regard during the current year, State-wise and year-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) to (c) The trees felled on the forest land in hilly areas as well as in other areas of the country in  respect  of  diversion  of  forest  for  non-foresty  purposes  are  compensated  by  undertaking Compensating Afforestation in compliance of the conditions stipulated in the approval given under the provisions of the Forest (Converation) Act, 1980. Further, tree plantations are also being taken up under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry namely National Mission for  a  Green  India  (GIM),  and  Nagar  Van  Yojana/Nagar  VatikaYojana,  CAMPA  fund  etc. and under various programs/schemes of line Ministries such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, National Bamboo  Mission, Sub-Mission on Agroforestry etc. and under various schemes of State Government /UT Administration, and by  various  departments,  Non-Government  Organizations,  Civil  Society,  Corporate  bodies etc.  The  multi  departmental  efforts  have  yielded  good  results  in  conserving  forest  and environment,  which  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  forest  cover  is  constantly  increasing over  the  years.  As  per  the  latest  ISFR  2021,  the  total  forest  cover  of  the  country  has increased by 12,294 square kilometers in the last seven years (ISFR 2015 to ISFR 2021).

Thecomplaints, as and when received regarding non planting of new saplings in lieu of those  cut  down  for  setting  up  industrial  units  are  sent  to  respective  States  for  appropriate action  at  their  end.The  state-wise  details  ofnumber  of  seedlings  planted  during  last  three years and the  target for plantation for the current year are given in the Annexure-I.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  to  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1900  DUE  FOR  REPLY  ON  19.12.2022  BY  SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS: 'Plantation of New Saplings'.

(Saplings** in lakhs)

| Sl. No.   | Name of State/UT   |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |   2021-22 |   2022-23* |
|-----------|--------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|------------|
| 1.        | A &NIslands        |      7.42 |      9.97 |     10.46 |      18.92 |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh     |   1705.67 |   1562.43 |    964.87 |    1328.6  |
| 3.        | Arunachal Pradesh  |      4.18 |      6.3  |     11.38 |       5.66 |
| 4.        | Assam              |     30.4  |     58.39 |     75.45 |      43.81 |
| 5.        | Bihar              |     68.83 |    397.48 |    389    |     313.11 |
| 6.        | Chandigarh         |      0.7  |      1.99 |      1.19 |       0.91 |
| 7.        | Chhattisgarh       |    294.75 |    435.49 |    266.08 |     297.64 |
| 8.        | D &NHaveli         |      3    |     12.1  |      0    |       4.23 |
| 9.        | Daman &Diu         |      1.11 |      1.02 |      0    |      31.85 |
| 10.       | Delhi              |     28.81 |     32.41 |     34.95 |       1.11 |
| 11.       | Goa                |      0.2  |      2.23 |      1.09 |    1086.67 |
| 12.       | Gujarat            |    976.36 |   1409.66 |   1592.55 |     164.52 |
| 13.       | Haryana            |    153.37 |    123.14 |    204.38 |     192.47 |
| 14.       | Himachal Pradesh   |     76.61 |    111.15 |    110.53 |     135    |
| 15.       | Jammu and Kashmir* |     73.16 |    106.58 |    137.2  |     218.47 |
| 16.       | Jharkhand          |    152.42 |    242.17 |    171.15 |     382.66 |
| 17.       | Karnataka          |    283.59 |    524.81 |    251.01 |      83.27 |
| 18.       | Kerala             |     72.73 |    142.6  |      0    |       0.98 |
| 19.       | Lakshadweep        |      0    |      0.05 |      0    |       0.13 |
| 20.       | Madhya Pradesh     |    498.6  |    570.06 |    410.85 |     542.49 |
| 21.       | Maharashtra        |   3454.71 |    278.4  |    535.49 |    1493.51 |
| 22.       | Manipur            |     62.28 |    100.23 |     59.26 |      37.77 |
| 23.       | Meghalaya          |      6.12 |      8.65 |      1.46 |       5.53 |
| 24.       | Mizoram            |     28.76 |     30.96 |     70.84 |      39.52 |
| 25.       | Nagaland           |      9.5  |      2    |     15.6  |      17.03 |
| 26.       | Orissa             |    549.28 |    858.24 |    613.37 |     826.8  |
| 27.       | Puducherry         |      0.89 |      5.7  |      1.86 |       3.32 |
| 28.       | Punjab             |     53.93 |    173.59 |    120.41 |     138.52 |
| 29.       | Rajasthan          |    160.19 |    215.23 |    267.52 |     245.31 |
| 30.       | Sikkim             |     17.25 |     17.43 |     10.77 |      23.01 |
| 31.       | Tamil Nadu         |     94.46 |    198.63 |     76.61 |     148.59 |
| 32.       | Telangana          |   3817.61 |   2731.16 |   2013.6  |    1955    |
| 33.       | Tripura            |     42.77 |     60.79 |     67.08 |     126.1  |
| 34.       | Uttar Pradesh      |   2259.86 |   2587.45 |   3051.81 |    2896.34 |
| 35.       | Uttarakhand        |    199.63 |    215.7  |    262.81 |     225.23 |
| 36.       | West Bengal        |    237.88 |    734.46 |      0    |     342.16 |
|           | Total              |  15427    |  13968.6  |  11800.7  |   13376.2  |

Note:*Target for plantation of sapling for the current year.

**Sapling includes replacement