Lok Sabha Question No. 3003 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-06
Subject: Decline in Forest Area
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sandhya Ray, Ramcharan Bohra

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 3003

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 06.08.2021

## Decline in Forest Area

## 3003.   SHRIMATI SANDHYA RAY: SHRI RAMCHARAN BOHRA:

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

- (a) whether the forest covered area of the country is decreasing continuously and rapidly;
- (b) if so, the reasons therefor and the steps taken by the Government to tackle it;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  engage  and  increase  the role  of  private  sector  in order to increase and conserve forest areas of the country by involving private land;
- (d)  if  so,  the  details  of  such  schemes  being  implemented  in  the  country  along  with  the policies/guidelines in this regard, State/UT-wise including Rajasthan;
- (e) the details of funds allocated and assistance provided to States for increasing the forest area, along with the success achieved therein during the last three years, State/UT-wise including Rajasthan; and
- (f)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  provide  concession  in  taxes  and  compensation  to those  people  who  develop  forests  on  large  areas  of  private  land  and  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b)     Forest cover in country is increasing. There is an increase of 13,209 square kilometer of forest and tree   cover at the national level in the ISFR-2019 as compared to the ISFR-  2015.  Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI),  Dehradun,  an  organization  under  the Ministry  carries  out  the  assessment  of  forest  cover  of  the  country  biennially  since 1987 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  ISFR  2019,  the  total  forest  and  tree  cover  of  the  country  is 8,07,276 square kilometers which is 24.56 % of the geographical area of the country. The  State/UTs  wise  details  of  forest  and  tree  cover  as  per  ISFR-2019  is  given  in Annexure-I.

The State/UTs wise details of change in forest and tree cover as compared with ISFR2019 and ISFR-2015 is given in Annexure-II.

- (c),  (d)  &  (e)  Private  Sector  is  taking  up  afforestation  programme  on  areas  outside  forests, largely in partnership with farmers and other land owners. The National Forest Policy, 1988  provides  that  as  far  as  possible,  a  forest-based  industry  should  raise  the  raw material needed for meeting its own requirements, preferably by establishment of a direct  relationship  between  the  factory  and  the  individuals  who  can  grow  the  raw material by supporting the individuals with inputs including credit, constant technical advice and finally harvesting and transport services.

Further, various schemes are being implemented by Central and State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration for improvement of forest cover in the country. These include National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission  (GIM),  being  implemented  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and Climate Change. Afforestation activities are also taken up under various programmes/schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Compensatory Afforestation Funds under Compensatory Afforestation  Fund  Management  and  Planning  Authority  (CAMPA).    In  addition State and UT Government also implement various schemes of afforestation. The State /UT-wise  details  of  fund  released  under  National  Afforestation  Programme,  Green India  Mission  and  Compensatory  Afforestation  Funds  for  the  last  three  years  are given in Annexure -III, IV and V.

- (f)            At  present,  there  is  no  proposal  to  provide  concession  in  taxes  and  compensation to those people who develop forests on large areas of private land.

****

## Annexure I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3003 due for answer on 06.08.2021 regarding 'Decline in Forest Area' State/UTs wise details of Forest and Tree Cover as per ISFR 2019

## (Area in square kilometre)

| State/UTs           | Geographic Area   | Forest Cover   |   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 |

Forest Cover = 21.67% of total geographical area.

Tree Cover= 2.89% of total geographical area.

Total Tree and Forest Cover = 24.56% of total geographical area.

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 3003 due for answer on 06.08.2021 regarding 'Decline in Forest Area'

## State/UTs wise Change in forest and tree cover as per ISFR-2019 and 2015.

(Area in square kilometre)

| S. No   | State/UT            |   Increase/decrease in forest cover w.r.t. ISFR 2015 (as per ISFR 2019) |   Increase/decrease in tree cover w.r.t. ISFR 2015 (as per ISFR 2019) |
|---------|---------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh      |                                                                 3131    |                                                                -51    |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh   |                                                                 -466    |                                                                 87    |
| 3       | Assam               |                                                                  789    |                                                               -205    |
| 4       | Bihar               |                                                                   52    |                                                               -179    |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh        |                                                                   52    |                                                                619    |
| 6       | Delhi               |                                                                    6.67 |                                                                 18    |
| 7       | Goa                 |                                                                   27    |                                                                -53    |
| 8       | Gujarat             |                                                                  147    |                                                              -1002    |
| 9       | Haryana             |                                                                   22    |                                                                210    |
| 10      | Himachal Pradesh    |                                                                  727    |                                                                 72    |
| 11      | Jammu &Kashmir      |                                                                  624    |                                                               -410    |
| 12      | Jharkhand           |                                                                   87    |                                                               -126    |
| 13      | Karnataka           |                                                                 2126    |                                                                705    |
| 14      | Kerala              |                                                                 1866    |                                                                -15    |
| 15      | Madhya Pradesh      |                                                                   56    |                                                                566    |
| 16      | Maharashtra         |                                                                   79    |                                                               1248    |
| 17      | Manipur             |                                                                 -236    |                                                                -70    |
| 18      | Meghalaya           |                                                                 -143    |                                                                  0    |
| 19      | Mizoram             |                                                                 -711    |                                                                -94    |
| 20      | Nagaland            |                                                                 -453    |                                                                -19    |
| 21      | Odisha              |                                                                 1159    |                                                                662    |
| 22      | Punjab              |                                                                   78    |                                                                 48    |
| 23      | Rajasthan           |                                                                  524    |                                                               -157    |
| 24      | Sikkim              |                                                                  -11    |                                                                  1    |
| 25      | Tamil Nadu          |                                                                  156    |                                                                325    |
| 26      | Telangana           |                                                                  728    |                                                                -35    |
| 27      | Tripura             |                                                                 -164    |                                                                 -2    |
| 28      | Uttar Pradesh       |                                                                  405    |                                                                298    |
| 29      | Uttarakhand         |                                                                   31    |                                                                 89    |
| 30      | West Bengal         |                                                                   76    |                                                                -82    |
| 31      | A&NIslands          |                                                                   -8    |                                                                  4    |
| 32      | Chandigarh          |                                                                    0.37 |                                                                 16    |
| 33      | Dadra &Nagar Haveli |                                                                    1    |                                                                  0    |
| 34      | Daman &Diu          |                                                                    0.88 |                                                                 -5    |
| 35      | Lakshadweep         |                                                                    0.04 |                                                                 -3.71 |
| 36      | Puducherry          |                                                                   -4.54 |                                                                 -4    |
|         | Total               |                                                                10754    |                                                               2455    |

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3003 due for answer on 06.08.2021 regarding 'Decline in Forest Area'.

Details of State wise funds released under National Afforestation Programme

|        |                   |            |            | (Rupees in Crore)   |
|--------|-------------------|------------|------------|---------------------|
| S. No. | State             | FY 2018-19 | FY 2019-20 | FY 2020-21          |
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh    | 6.38       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 2      | Bihar             | 0.00       | 1.18       | 0.80                |
| 3      | Chhattisgarh      | 7.82       | 5.71       | 9.88                |
| 4      | Goa               | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 5      | Gujarat           | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 6      | Haryana           | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 7      | Himachal Pradesh  | 2.92       | 0.52       | 0.57                |
| 8      | Jammu &Kashmir    | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 9      | Jharkhand         | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 10     | Karnataka         | 10.99      | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 11     | Kerala            | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 12     | Madhya Pradesh    | 7.78       | 0.00       | 0.57                |
| 13     | Maharashtra       | 15.33      | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 14     | Odisha            | 11.36      | 8.45       | 13.67               |
| 15     | Punjab            | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 16     | Rajasthan         | 1.95       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 17     | Tamil Nadu        | 2.07       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 18     | Telangana         | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 19     | Uttar Pradesh     | 0.32       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 20     | Uttarakhand       | 2.58       | 0.00       | 1.06                |
| 21     | West Bengal       | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 22     | Arunachal Pradesh | 0.00       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 23     | Assam             | 0.58       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 24     | Manipur           | 4.38       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 25     | Meghalaya         | 0.74       | 0.00       | 0.00                |
| 26     | Mizoram           | 7.79       | 0.00       | 7.40                |
| 27     | Nagaland          | 6.41       | 2.35       | 4.27                |
| 28     | Sikkim            | 5.98       | 0.00       | 0.88                |
| 29     | Tripura           | 0.00       | 3.76       | 1.33                |
|        | Total             | 95.38      | 21.97      | 40.43               |

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3003 due for answer on 06.08.2021 regarding 'Decline in Forest Area'.

## State-wise details of funds released under Green India Mission.

(Rs. in Lakh)

| Sl. No.   | State/UT            | 2018-19   | 2019-2020   | 2020-21    |
|-----------|---------------------|-----------|-------------|------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh      | 266.62    | -           | -          |
| 2         | Chhattisgarh        | 536.07    | 503.608     | 166.0924   |
| 3         | Himachal Pradesh    | -         | -           | 1708.5     |
| 4         | Jammu &Kashmir (UT) | -         | -           | 2572.7     |
| 5         | Karnataka           | 162.34    | 220.993     | 235.1396   |
| 6         | Kerala              | -         | 1631.813    | -          |
| 7         | Manipur             | 488.81    | 416.229     | 673.635    |
| 8         | Mizoram             | 2236.4    | 1770.901    | 299.4801   |
| 9         | Odisha              | 474.33    | 1418.919    | 2601.436   |
| 10        | Punjab              | -         | 318.57      | -          |
| 11        | Uttarakhand         | -         | -           | 2789.1     |
| 12        | Madhya Pradesh      | 2415.9    | 3065.298    | -          |
| 13        | Maharashtra         | 1030.2    | -           | -          |
| 14        | Sikkim              | 332.36    | 312.42      | 219.287    |
| 15        | West Bengal         | -         | 942.6488    | -          |
|           | Total               | 7943.03   | 10601.3998  | 11265.3701 |

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3003 due for answer on 06.08.2021 regarding 'Decline in Forest Area'.

| State wise approved annual plan of operation by Adhoc CAMPA for the year 2018-19 and National Authority for the financial year 2019-20 to 2020-21. (Rs. In Crore)   | State wise approved annual plan of operation by Adhoc CAMPA for the year 2018-19 and National Authority for the financial year 2019-20 to 2020-21. (Rs. In Crore)   | State wise approved annual plan of operation by Adhoc CAMPA for the year 2018-19 and National Authority for the financial year 2019-20 to 2020-21. (Rs. In Crore)   | State wise approved annual plan of operation by Adhoc CAMPA for the year 2018-19 and National Authority for the financial year 2019-20 to 2020-21. (Rs. In Crore)   | State wise approved annual plan of operation by Adhoc CAMPA for the year 2018-19 and National Authority for the financial year 2019-20 to 2020-21. (Rs. In Crore)   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.                                                                                                                                                             | Name State/UTs                                                                                                                                                      | Year 2018-19                                                                                                                                                        | Year 2019-20                                                                                                                                                        | Year 2020-21                                                                                                                                                        |
| 1                                                                                                                                                                   | Andaman &Nicobar                                                                                                                                                    | 1.56                                                                                                                                                                | 0.00*                                                                                                                                                               | 2.13                                                                                                                                                                |
| 2                                                                                                                                                                   | Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                                                                      | 104.47                                                                                                                                                              | 322.97                                                                                                                                                              | 330.82                                                                                                                                                              |
| 3                                                                                                                                                                   | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                                   | 354.15                                                                                                                                                              | 0.00*                                                                                                                                                               | 155.46                                                                                                                                                              |
| 4                                                                                                                                                                   | Assam                                                                                                                                                               | 45.84                                                                                                                                                               | 55.89                                                                                                                                                               | 88.34                                                                                                                                                               |
| 5                                                                                                                                                                   | Bihar                                                                                                                                                               | 46.62                                                                                                                                                               | 140.18                                                                                                                                                              | 239.47                                                                                                                                                              |
| 6                                                                                                                                                                   | Chandigarh                                                                                                                                                          | 1.27                                                                                                                                                                | 1.87                                                                                                                                                                | 2.26                                                                                                                                                                |
| 7                                                                                                                                                                   | Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                                                        | 0.00                                                                                                                                                                | 848.51                                                                                                                                                              | 1346.92                                                                                                                                                             |
| 8                                                                                                                                                                   | Goa                                                                                                                                                                 | 0.00                                                                                                                                                                | 0.00*                                                                                                                                                               | 19.55                                                                                                                                                               |
| 9                                                                                                                                                                   | Gujarat                                                                                                                                                             | 212.66                                                                                                                                                              | 17.95                                                                                                                                                               | 32.68                                                                                                                                                               |
| 10                                                                                                                                                                  | Haryana                                                                                                                                                             | 144.20                                                                                                                                                              | 0.00***                                                                                                                                                             | 240.69                                                                                                                                                              |
| 11                                                                                                                                                                  | Himachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                                    | 132.52                                                                                                                                                              | 96.84                                                                                                                                                               | 203.95                                                                                                                                                              |
| 12                                                                                                                                                                  | Jammu &Kashmir                                                                                                                                                      | 0.00                                                                                                                                                                | 145.82                                                                                                                                                              | 158.38                                                                                                                                                              |
| 13                                                                                                                                                                  | Jharkhand                                                                                                                                                           | 286.25                                                                                                                                                              | 0.00***                                                                                                                                                             | 184.83                                                                                                                                                              |
| 14                                                                                                                                                                  | Karnataka                                                                                                                                                           | 101.40                                                                                                                                                              | 399.29                                                                                                                                                              | 376.56                                                                                                                                                              |
| 15                                                                                                                                                                  | Kerala                                                                                                                                                              | 14.61                                                                                                                                                               | 146.22                                                                                                                                                              | 212.94                                                                                                                                                              |
| 16                                                                                                                                                                  | Ladakh                                                                                                                                                              | 0.00                                                                                                                                                                | 0.00*                                                                                                                                                               | 15.79                                                                                                                                                               |
| 17                                                                                                                                                                  | Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                                                      | 268.76                                                                                                                                                              | 506.38                                                                                                                                                              | 860.96                                                                                                                                                              |
| 18                                                                                                                                                                  | Maharashtra                                                                                                                                                         | 225.00                                                                                                                                                              | 499.38                                                                                                                                                              | 599.32                                                                                                                                                              |
| 19                                                                                                                                                                  | Manipur                                                                                                                                                             | 24.85                                                                                                                                                               | 30.36                                                                                                                                                               | 27.79                                                                                                                                                               |
| 20                                                                                                                                                                  | Meghalaya                                                                                                                                                           | 0.00                                                                                                                                                                | 0.00*                                                                                                                                                               | 33.97                                                                                                                                                               |
| 21                                                                                                                                                                  | Mizoram                                                                                                                                                             | 8.30                                                                                                                                                                | 19.23***                                                                                                                                                            | 32.66                                                                                                                                                               |
| 22                                                                                                                                                                  | Odisha                                                                                                                                                              | 554.00                                                                                                                                                              | 610.52******                                                                                                                                                        | 773.39                                                                                                                                                              |
| 23                                                                                                                                                                  | Punjab                                                                                                                                                              | 79.20                                                                                                                                                               | 64.73****                                                                                                                                                           | 177.85                                                                                                                                                              |
| 24                                                                                                                                                                  | Rajasthan                                                                                                                                                           | 182.03                                                                                                                                                              | 267.69                                                                                                                                                              | 280.98                                                                                                                                                              |
| 25                                                                                                                                                                  | Sikkim                                                                                                                                                              | 0.00                                                                                                                                                                | 54.38                                                                                                                                                               | 66.90                                                                                                                                                               |
| 26                                                                                                                                                                  | Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                                                          | 7.00                                                                                                                                                                | 0.00*                                                                                                                                                               | 66.63                                                                                                                                                               |
| 27                                                                                                                                                                  | Telangana                                                                                                                                                           | 237.38                                                                                                                                                              | 510.00                                                                                                                                                              | 483.78                                                                                                                                                              |
| 28                                                                                                                                                                  | Tripura                                                                                                                                                             | 16.70                                                                                                                                                               | 16.74                                                                                                                                                               | 21.51                                                                                                                                                               |
| 29                                                                                                                                                                  | Uttar Pradesh                                                                                                                                                       | 150.60                                                                                                                                                              | 285.68                                                                                                                                                              | 442.01                                                                                                                                                              |
| 30                                                                                                                                                                  | Uttarakhand                                                                                                                                                         | 303.00                                                                                                                                                              | 218.00                                                                                                                                                              | 353.64                                                                                                                                                              |
| 31                                                                                                                                                                  | West Bengal                                                                                                                                                         | 21.22                                                                                                                                                               | 70.07                                                                                                                                                               | 74.00                                                                                                                                                               |
|                                                                                                                                                                     | Total                                                                                                                                                               | 3523.59                                                                                                                                                             | 5328.7                                                                                                                                                              | 7906.16                                                                                                                                                             |