Lok Sabha Question No. 1932 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-12
Subject: Forest Area
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Alok Kumar Suman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1932

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.02.2021

## Forest Area

## 1932.   DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

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

- (a) whether as per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2019, the total recorded Forest Area  in  the  country  is  7,67,419  square  kilometres  out  of  which  4,34,853  square kilometres is Reserve Forest;
- (b) if so, the total land reserved for forest land in Bihar, area-wise and district-wise;
- (c) whether any assessment has been undertaken by the Government for the enhancement of forest cover in Bihar including Gopalganj district, if so, the details thereof, and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to undertake/promote more plantation drive/activities including fruits plantation in Bihar especially in Gopalganj district?

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

## CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) Yes Sir.
- (b) As per India State of Forest Report-2019, the district wise forest cover of Bihar is given in Annexure-I.
- (c) Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, 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. ISFR-2019 is the latest report in the series. A comparison of ISFR 2017 with ISFR 2019 shows a decrease of 0.09 sq. km of forest cover from the year 2017 to 2019.
- (d)The details of year-wise funds released by Central Government under various schemes to State  of  Bihar,  including  Gopalganj,  and  seedlings  planted,  as  reported  by  the  State, under Twenty Point Programme are given in Annexure-II.

Government of Bihar is implementing Jal Jeevan Haryali Mission under which various afforestation  programmes  are taken  up  with  the  participation  of  the  local  people  and other stakeholders. Under this Mission 3.95 crore plants have been planted in the State during the year 2020-21, out of which more than 5 lakhs plants have been planted in Gopalganj district.

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Annexure I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 1932 due for answer on 12.02.2021 regarding 'Forest Area'

District wise forest cover of Bihar as per ISFR-2019

(Area in square kilometre)

| S. No.   | District           | Geographical area   |   Very Dense Forest |   Moderately Dense Forest |   Open Forest | Total Forest   |   percentage of Geographical Area |
|----------|--------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|---------------|----------------|-----------------------------------|
| 1        | Araria             | 2,830               |                0    |                      8.1  |        142.91 | 151.01         |                              5.34 |
| 2        | Arwal              | 638                 |                0    |                      1.63 |          2.37 | 4.00           |                              0.63 |
| 3        | Aurangabad         | 3,305               |                0    |                     62.26 |         94.5  | 156.76         |                              4.74 |
| 4        | Banka              | 3,020               |                0    |                    103.34 |        157.39 | 260.73         |                              8.63 |
| 5        | Begusarai          | 1,918               |                0    |                     28.64 |         53.31 | 81.95          |                              4.27 |
| 6        | Bhagalpur          | 2,569               |                0    |                     46.21 |         23.52 | 69.73          |                              2.91 |
| 7        | Bhojpur            | 2,395               |                0    |                     19.44 |         12.81 | 32.25          |                              1.89 |
| 8        | Buxar              | 1,703               |                0    |                      2.94 |          2.95 | 5.89           |                              0.26 |
| 9        | Darbhanga          | 2,279               |                0    |                     43.54 |         94.12 | 137.66         |                              2.77 |
| 10       | Gaya               | 4,976               |                0    |                    134.4  |        455.91 | 590.31         |                             29.04 |
| 11       | Gopalganj          | 2,033               |                0    |                      1.98 |          2.93 | 4.91           |                              0.16 |
| 12       | Jamui              | 3,098               |               28.97 |                    351.69 |        267.29 | 647.95         |                             69.6  |
| 13       | Jehanabad          | 931                 |                0    |                      0    |          0    | 0.00           |                              0    |
| 14       | Kaimur(Bhabua)     | 3,332               |                0    |                    525.14 |        531.25 | 1,056.39       |                             41.12 |
| 15       | Katihar            | 3,057               |                0    |                      6.03 |         55.95 | 61.98          |                              2.03 |
| 16       | Khagaria           | 1,486               |                0    |                      3.18 |         15.27 | 18.45          |                              1.24 |
| 17       | Kishanganj         | 1,884               |                0    |                     16.33 |         87.37 | 103.70         |                              5.5  |
| 18       | Lakhisarai         | 1,228               |               17    |                    144.42 |         18.99 | 180.41         |                             14.69 |
| 19       | Madhepura          | 1,788               |                0    |                      0.93 |         51.95 | 52.88          |                              2.96 |
| 20       | Madhubani          | 3,501               |                0    |                     40.34 |        163.73 | 204.07         |                              5.83 |
| 21       | Munger             | 1,419               |               37.97 |                    223.67 |         21.96 | 283.60         |                             19.99 |
| 22       | Muzaffarpur        | 3,172               |                0    |                     52.17 |        109.65 | 161.82         |                              5.1  |
| 23       | Nalanda            | 2,355               |                0    |                      6.86 |         24.99 | 31.85          |                              1.35 |
| 24       | Nawada             | 2,494               |                0    |                    200.98 |        312.52 | 513.50         |                             20.59 |
| 25       | PashchimChamp aran | 5,228               |              249.19 |                    550.24 |        105.23 | 904.66         |                             17.3  |
| 26       | Patna              | 3,202               |                0    |                     18.78 |          4.76 | 23.54          |                              0.74 |
| 27       | PurbiChamparan     | 3,968               |                0    |                     65.04 |         98.82 | 163.86         |                              4.13 |
| 28       | Purnia             | 3,229               |                0    |                      5    |         50.67 | 55.67          |                              1.72 |
| 29       | Rohtas             | 3,881               |                0    |                    352.52 |        319.71 | 672.23         |                             17.32 |
| 30       | Saharsa            | 1,687               |                0    |                      4.17 |         30.45 | 34.62          |                              2.05 |
| 31       | Samastipur         | 2,904               |                0    |                    105.3  |         48.06 | 153.36         |                              5.28 |
| 32       | Saran              | 2,641               |                0    |                     26.3  |         32.83 | 59.13          |                              2.24 |
| 33       | Sheikhpura         | 689                 |                0    |                      1    |          0    | 1.00           |                              0.15 |
| 34       | Sheohar            | 349                 |                0    |                      2    |         18.58 | 20.58          |                              5.9  |
| 35       | Sitamarhi          | 2,294               |                0    |                     37.38 |        110.4  | 147.78         |                              6.44 |
| 36       | Siwan              | 2,219               |                0    |                      1.99 |          5.17 | 7.16           |                              0.32 |
| 37       | Supaul             | 2,425               |                0    |                      3.89 |        134.89 | 138.78         |                              5.72 |
| 38       | Vaishali           | 2,036               |                0    |                     82.49 |         29.33 | 111.82         |                              5.49 |
|          | Grand Total        | 94,163              |              333.13 |                   3280.32 |       3692.54 | 7,305.99       |                              7.76 |

Annexure II

Annexure referred to in reply to part (d) of the LokSabha Unstarred Question No. 1932 due for answer on 12.02.2021 regarding 'Forest Area'

Year-wise details of funds released under National Afforestation Programme, Green India Mission, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) and number of Seedlings planted (in Lakhs) reported under Twenty Point Programme (TTP) during the last three years 2017-18 to 2019-20

| Sl. No.   | Year    | Funds released under NAP (Rs. in crores)   | Funds released under GIM   |   CAMPA funds sanctioned (Rs. in crores) |   Number of seedlings planted (in Lakhs) reported under TPP |
|-----------|---------|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------|------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | 2017-18 | 4.23                                       | Nil                        |                                    30.31 |                                                      228.24 |
| 2         | 2018-19 | -                                          | Nil                        |                                    46.62 |                                                      139.4  |
| 3         | 2019-20 | 1.18                                       | Nil                        |                                   140.18 |                                                       68.83 |
|           | Total   | 5.41                                       |                            |                                   217.11 |                                                      436.47 |

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