Lok Sabha Question No. 719 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-05
Subject: Green Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Gowdar Mallikarjunappa Siddeshwara

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  719

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2021

## Green Cover

## 719.    SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWAR:

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

- (a) the details of such areas that have adequate green area coverage of trees and forest in the country;
- (b) the names of the States that have recorded the highest and lowest green  area coverage in the country;
- (c) whether people lead much  healthy lives/lifestyles in green coverage States/areas compared to other States/areas with lower area under green coverage; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Forest Surveyof India, Dehradun an organization under the Ministry carries out the assessment  of  forest  cover  of  the  country  biennially  and  the  findings  are  published  in India  State  of  Forest  Report  (ISFR).  The  forest  cover  assessment  is  a  wall-to-wall mapping  exercise  based  on  remote  sensing  supported  by  intensive  ground  verification and field data from National Forest Inventory.

As  per  the  latest  report  i.e.  ISFR-  2019,  the  total  forest  cover  of  the  country  is 7,12,249square kilometer which is 21.67% of the geographical area of the country. The tree cover of the country which is defined as small and isolated of tree patches (of less than  1  hectare)  outside  recorded  forest  area,  is  estimated  as  95,027  square  kilometre (km 2 ) which is 2.89% of the geographical area of the country. The State/UTs wise details of forest cover alongwith percentage as per ISFR-2019 is given in Annexure.

- (b)   As per ISFR-2019, area wise Madhya Pradesh has largest forest cover (77,482 Km 2 )and Haryana  has  lowest  forest  cover  (1602  Km 2 ).  Among  Union  Territories  (UTs),  Delhi (195.44 Km 2 ) has highest forest cover and Daman and Diu has lowest forest cover (20.49 Km 2 ).
- (c)& (d)The Ministry has not conducted any specific study in this regard. However, it is a fact that forests  are  essential  to  human  being  as  they  provide  clean  air  and  water  and  other essential  ecosystem  services  such  as  timber,  food,  fuel,  fodder,  non-wood  products, shelter  and  soil  and  water  conservation.  Forests  also serve  as  sites of aesthetic, recreational  and  spiritual  value  in  many  cultural  and  societal  contexts.  Hence,  forests contribute significantly to a healthy environment and thereby help in maintaining good health of people.

***

## Annexure

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 719 due for answer on 05.02.2021 regarding 'Green Cover'

## State/UTs wise details of Forest and Tree Cover as per ISFR 2019

(Area in square kilometre)

| State/UTs           | Geographic Area   | Forest Cover (ISFR 2019)   |   Percentage of forest cover to geographical area | Tree Cover   |   Percentage of tree cover to geographical area |
|---------------------|-------------------|----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|--------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      | 1,62,968          | 29,137                     |                                             17.88 | 3,914        |                                            2.4  |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 83,743            | 66,688                     |                                             79.63 | 848          |                                            1.01 |
| Assam               | 78,438            | 28,327                     |                                             36.11 | 1,408        |                                            1.8  |
| Bihar               | 94,163            | 7,306                      |                                              7.76 | 2,003        |                                            2.13 |
| Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,192          | 55,611                     |                                             41.13 | 4,248        |                                            3.14 |
| Delhi               | 1,483             | 195.44                     |                                             13.18 | 129          |                                            8.73 |
| Goa                 | 3,702             | 2,237                      |                                             60.43 | 272          |                                            7.34 |
| Gujarat             | 1,96,244          | 14,857                     |                                              7.57 | 6,912        |                                            3.52 |
| Haryana             | 44,212            | 1,602                      |                                              3.62 | 1,565        |                                            3.54 |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673            | 15,434                     |                                             27.72 | 829          |                                            1.49 |
| Jammu &Kashmir      | 2,22,236          | 23,612                     |                                             10.62 | 7,944        |                                            3.57 |
| Jharkhand           | 79,716            | 23,611                     |                                             29.62 | 2,657        |                                            3.33 |
| Karnataka           | 1,91,791          | 38,575                     |                                             20.11 | 6,257        |                                            3.26 |
| Kerala              | 38,852            | 21,144                     |                                             54.42 | 2,936        |                                            7.56 |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,252          | 77,482                     |                                             25.14 | 8,339        |                                            2.71 |
| Maharashtra         | 3,07,713          | 50,778                     |                                             16.5  | 10,806       |                                            3.51 |
| Manipur             | 22,327            | 16,847                     |                                             75.46 | 173          |                                            0.77 |
| Meghalaya           | 22,429            | 17,119                     |                                             76.33 | 710          |                                            3.17 |
| Mizoram             | 21,081            | 18,006                     |                                             85.41 | 441          |                                            2.09 |
| Nagaland            | 16,579            | 12,486                     |                                             75.31 | 362          |                                            2.19 |
| Odisha              | 1,55,707          | 51,619                     |                                             33.15 | 4,648        |                                            2.98 |
| Punjab              | 50,362            | 1,849                      |                                              3.67 | 1,592        |                                            3.16 |
| Rajasthan           | 3,42,239          | 16,630                     |                                              4.86 | 8,112        |                                            2.37 |
| Sikkim              | 7,096             | 3,342                      |                                             47.1  | 36           |                                            0.51 |
| Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,060          | 26,364                     |                                             20.27 | 4,830        |                                            3.71 |
| Telangana           | 1,12,077          | 20,582                     |                                             18.36 | 2,514        |                                            2.24 |
| Tripura             | 10,486            | 7,726                      |                                             73.68 | 231          |                                            2.2  |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928          | 14,806                     |                                              6.15 | 7,342        |                                            3.05 |
| Uttarakhand         | 53,483            | 24,303                     |                                             45.44 | 841          |                                            1.57 |
| West Bengal         | 88,752            | 16,902                     |                                             19.04 | 2,006        |                                            2.26 |
| A&N Islands         | 8,249             | 6,743                      |                                             81.74 | 41           |                                            0.5  |
| Chandigarh          | 114               | 22.03                      |                                             19.32 | 25           |                                           22.34 |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491               | 207                        |                                             42.16 | 28           |                                            5.75 |
| Daman &Diu          | 111               | 20.49                      |                                             18.46 | 5            |                                            4.87 |
| Lakshadweep         | 30                | 27.10                      |                                             90.33 | 0.29         |                                            0.97 |
| Puducherry          | 490               | 52.41                      |                                             10.7  | 23           |                                            4.66 |
| Grand Total         | 32,87,469         | 7,12,249                   |                                             21.67 | 95,027       |                                            2.89 |