Lok Sabha Question No. 887 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-05
Subject: Forest Coverage
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Rajkumar Chahar

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  887 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2021

## Forest Coverage

## 887.    SHRI RAJ KUMAR CHAHAR:

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the forest cover of the six districts namely, Agra, Mathura,  Firozabad,  Etah,  Hathras  and  Bharatpur  of  the  Taj  Trapezium  Zone  (TTZ)  is very meager;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the forest and tree cover in the above districts as per the Forest Survey of India in the previous decade;
- (d) the  details  of  the  initiatives  taken  by  the  Government  for  agroforestry/increasing  forest cover in the said districts; and
- (e) whether  any  financial  incentives  for  promoting  agroforestry  in  TTZ  area  are  being provided by the Government and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND

## CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) & (b)Yes,  Sir.  Forest  Survey  of  India,  Dehradun  an organization  under  the  Ministry carries out theassessment of forest cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in   India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The latest in the series is ISFR-2019. As per ISFR-2019, details of forest cover alongwith percentage in six districts of the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is given in Annexure-I.

The  National  Forest  Policy,  1988  provide  that  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 hills 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 the fragile eco-system.

- (c) As per ISFR, details of forest cover of six districts of the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) in the previous decades are given in Annexure-II. District-wise information of tree cover is not estimated by Forest Survey of India. Forest Survey of India estimates State-wise tree cover  by  using  of  inventory  data  of  forest  and  trees  outside  forest  collected  under National  Forest  Inventory  Programme.  The  State-wise  tree  cover  for  the  States  in  the TTZ (Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan) is given in Annexure-III .
- (d) & (e) To increase the forest and tree cover in the country, afforestation programmes are being taken  up  under  various  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  such  as  National  Afforestation Programme and Green India Mission being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest  and  Climate  Change.  Afforestation  activities  are  also  taken  up  under  various programmes/funding  sources  such  as  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment

Guarantee Scheme, PradhanMantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana, Compensatory Afforestation Funds  and  under  concerned  State/UT  schemes/plans . Under  National  Afforestation Programme, an amount of Rs. 9.58 lakhs has been released to three districts namely Agra, Firozabad and Hathras in Uttar Pradesh State for maintenance during the year 2017-18 and  an  amount  of  Rs.  3.00  lakhs  has  been  released  to  two  districts  namely  Agra, Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh for maintenance during the year 2018-19.  No fund released during the year 2019-20.

Further,  Uttar  Pradesh  Forest  Department  has  informed  that  under  Sub-Mission  on Agroforestry  scheme  implemented  by  Ministry  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare,  an assistance of Rs. 35.00 per plants distributed over 4 year (Rs. 14.00 + Rs.7.00+ 7.00 + 7.00) for plantation on Farm Bunds and Rs. 28.00 per plants distributed over 4 year (Rs. 11.20+ Rs. 5.60 + 5.60+ 5.60) for Tree Plantation with Crops.

The details of plantation in TTZ districts under agroforestry are as follows:-

|   S. No. | District   | Plantations on Farm Bunds (Nos.)   | Tree Plantation with Crops (Nos.)   |
|----------|------------|------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
|        1 | Firozabad  | 76,000                             | 50,000                              |
|        2 | Hathras    | 18,214                             | 7,000                               |

Rajasthan Forest Department is providing plant seedlings suitable for agroforestry to the local people at Government prescribed nominal rate. The details of area planted in last five year for Bharatpur District are as follows:-

| Financial Year          |   Plantation Area (in Hectare) |
|-------------------------|--------------------------------|
| 2016-17                 |                         353    |
| 2017-18                 |                          60    |
| 2018-19                 |                         165    |
| 2019-20                 |                         200    |
| 2020-21 (upto December) |                         728.32 |
| Total                   |                        1506.32 |

*****

## Annexure I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 887 due for answer on 05.02.2021 regarding 'Forest Coverage'

## Forest Cover of six districts of the Taj Trapezium Zone as per India State of Forest Report 2019 (ISFR)

## (Area in Square kilometre)

| Six Districts of Taj Trapezium Zone   | Geo- graphic Area   |   Total Forest Cover |   Percentage to the geographical area |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------|----------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Agra (Uttar Pradesh)                  | 4,041               |               262.62 |                                  6.5  |
| Mathura (Uttar Pradesh)               | 3,340               |                57.04 |                                  1.71 |
| Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh)             | 2,407               |                58.6  |                                  2.43 |
| Etah (Uttar Pradesh)                  | 2,431               |                26.18 |                                  1.08 |
| Hathras (Uttar Pradesh)               | 1,840               |                23    |                                  1.25 |
| Bharatpur (Rajasthan)                 | 5,066               |               230.27 |                                  4.55 |

Annexure II

Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) of the LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 887 due for answer on 05.02.2021 regarding 'Forest Coverage'

Forest Cover of six districts of the Taj Trapezium Zone in the previous decade as per India State of Forest Report (ISFR)

(Area in Square kilometre)

| Six Districts of Taj Trapezium Zone   | Geo- graphic Area   |   Total Forest Cover As Per ISFR 2011 |   Total Forest Cover As Per ISFR 2013 |   Total Forest Cover As Per ISFR 2015 |   Total Forest Cover As Per ISFR 2017 |   Total Forest Cover As Per ISFR 2019 |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Agra (Uttar Pradesh)                  | 4,041               |                                   276 |                                   273 |                                   273 |                                   272 |                                262.62 |
| Mathura (Uttar Pradesh)               | 3,340               |                                    60 |                                    58 |                                    58 |                                    60 |                                 57.04 |
| Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh)             | 2,407               |                                    47 |                                    48 |                                    48 |                                    49 |                                 58.6  |
| Etah (Uttar Pradesh)                  | 2,431               |                                    99 |                                    98 |                                    98 |                                    31 |                                 26.18 |
| Hathras (Uttar Pradesh)               | 1,840               |                                    23 |                                    23 |                                    23 |                                    23 |                                 23    |
| Bharatpur (Rajasthan)                 | 5,066               |                                   238 |                                   243 |                                   240 |                                   229 |                                230.27 |

## Annexure -III

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) of the LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 887 due for answer on 05.02.2021 regarding 'Forest Coverage'

State wise Tree Cover of the Taj Trapezium Zone in the previous decade as per India State of Forest Report (ISFR)

(Area in Square kilometre)

| States        | Geo- graphic Area   | Tree Cover As Per ISFR 2011   | Tree Cover As Per ISFR 2013   | Tree Cover As Per ISFR 2015   | Tree Cover As Per ISFR 2017   | Tree Cover As Per ISFR 2019   |
|---------------|---------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| Uttar Pradesh | 240,928             | 7,382                         | 6,895                         | 7,044                         | 7,442                         | 7,342                         |
| Rajasthan     | 342,239             | 8,272                         | 7,860                         | 8,269                         | 8,266                         | 8,112                         |