Lok Sabha Question No. 899 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-12
Subject: Encroachment on Forest Land
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sudarshan Bhagat

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 899

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.12.2022

## Encroachment on Forest Land

## 899. SHRI SUDARSHAN BHAGAT:

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

- (a) whether it  is  a  fact  that  the  incidents  of  encroachment  on  forest  land  are increasing in tribal/rural areas in the country;
- (b) if so, details thereof, State-wise;
- (c) whether forests in the State of Jharkhand arebeing exploited illegally; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) &(b) Protection  and  management  of  forests  is  primarily  the  responsibility  of concerned State/UT. The various actions to remove encroachment are taken as  per  the  provisions  under  various  acts  such  as  Indian  Forest  Act,  1927; Wildlife Protection Act, 1972; Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, various rules made under these Acts and State Specific Acts and Rules. As per the report received from various State/UT Governments, there is no definite increasing trendin the incidence of encroachment on forest land in the tribal/rural areas in the country.The state-wise details of forest area under encroachment in the country are enclosed at Annexure-I
- (c) &(d) As  per  report  received  from  Jharkhand  state,  no  forests  in  the  State  of Jharkhand are being exploited illegally.

*****

ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  PART (A)& (B) OF THE LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 899 DUE FOR REPLY ON 12.12.2022 REGARDING 'ENCROACHMENT OF FOREST LAND'

|   S. No. | Name of the State/UTs   | Area under Encroachment (in ha)   |
|----------|-------------------------|-----------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh          | 25211.11                          |
|        2 | Assam                   | 377532.63                         |
|        3 | Arunachal Pradesh       | 53450.43                          |
|        4 | Bihar                   | 74.01                             |
|        5 | Chhattisgarh            | 7645.84                           |
|        6 | Gujarat                 | 25.24                             |
|        7 | Goa                     | Nil                               |
|        8 | Haryana                 | 1316.44                           |
|        9 | Himachal Pradesh        | 6252.00                           |
|       10 | Jharkhand               | 304.57                            |
|       11 | Jammu &Kashmir          | 16512.39                          |
|       12 | Karnataka               | 407.09                            |
|       13 | Kerala                  | 5024.54                           |
|       14 | Madhya Pradesh          | 54173.28                          |
|       15 | Maharashtra             | 228.81                            |
|       16 | Manipur                 | 2213.82                           |
|       17 | Meghalaya               | 9816.31                           |
|       18 | Mizoram                 | 10852.80                          |
|       19 | Nagaland                | 25.89                             |
|       20 | Odisha                  | 33154.19                          |
|       21 | Punjab                  | 9008.08                           |
|       22 | Rajasthan               | 13939.99                          |
|       23 | Sikkim                  | 2817.21                           |
|       24 | Tripura                 | 3621.80                           |
|       25 | Tamil Nadu              | 15010.71                          |
|       26 | Telangana               | 2004.48                           |
|       27 | Uttar Pradesh           | 27325.17                          |
|       28 | Uttarakhand             | 10649.11                          |
|       29 | West Bengal             | 10214.80                          |
|       30 | A &NIslands             | 3851.24                           |
|       31 | Chandigarh              | 14.00                             |
|       32 | D&NHaveli               | 0.08                              |
|       33 | Daman &Diu              | 87.83                             |
|       34 | Lakshadweep             | Nil                               |
|       35 | Delhi                   | 384.38                            |
|       36 | Puducherry              | Nil                               |
|       37 | Ladakh                  | 01.00                             |