Lok Sabha Question No. 850 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-05
Subject: Database of Forestry Sector
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Poonam (Mahajan) Vajendla Rao, Rajeshbhai Naranbhai Chudasama

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  850

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2021

## Database of Forestry Sector

## 850.     SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN:

## SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of the unavailability of statistical data relating to forestry sector;
- (b) if so, details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether there is any proposal to create a database of forestry wealth and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the details of revenue earned from forests during the last three years including the current year, State/UT- wise;
- (e) whether  there  is  scarcity  of  timber  products,  medicinal  plants,  paper,  gum,  rubber,  raw material and fruits due to shrinkage of forests across the country; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the corrective measures taken to overcome the problem?

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

- (a) & (b)   Forest  Survey  of  India,  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 wallto-wall  mapping  exercise  based  on  remote  sensing  supported  by  intensive  ground verification and field data from National Forest Inventory.In addition , Forest Survey of India  conducts  inventory  of  forests  within  and  outside  forests  using  data  from  30000 sample plots spread over the entire country to generate state & national level estimates of growing stock, forest carbon and bamboo. These statistics are published in ISFR.

As per the latest report i.e. ISFR- 2019, the total forest and tree cover in the country is 8,07,276  square  kilometers  (forest  cover  7,12,249  square  kilometer,  tree  cover  95,027 square kilometer) which is 24.56% of the geographical area of the country. There is an increase of 5,188 square kilometer (forest cover 3,976 square kilometer, tree cover 1,212 square kilometer) of total forest and tree cover compared to that of ISFR-2017.

- (c) There  is  no  proposal  to  create  another  database  to  assess  the  forestry  wealth  of  the country.
- (d) As per the information made available from State Forest Department, the revenue earned from forest for the last three years including the current year are given in Annexure.
- (e) There  is  no  shrinkage  of  forest  cover  in  the  country.  As  per  ISFR-2019,  there  is  an increase of 5,188 square kilometer (forest cover 3,976 square kilometer, tree cover 1,212 square kilometer) of total forest and tree cover compared to that of ISFR-2017.
- (f) Various schemes are being implemented by Central and State Government to increase the supply  of  timber,  medicinal  plants,  paper,  gum,  rubber,  raw  materials  and  fruits  from forests.  These include 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, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee  Yojana,  Compensatory  Afforestation  Funds  and  under  concerned  State/UT schemes/plans .

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## Annexure

## Annexure referred to reply in part (d) of the LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 850 due for answer on 05.02.2021 regarding 'Database of Forestry Sector'

Details of revenue earned by State/UT Forest Department from 2017-18 to 2020-21.

## (Rupees in Lakh)

| State/UT          | 2017-18      |   2018-19 | 2019-2020              | 2020-2021                      |
|-------------------|--------------|-----------|------------------------|--------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh    | 33556.60     |  40640.1  | 4841.140               | 1341.450 (upto August, 2020)   |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 1344.07      |   1471.62 | 559.23                 | 54.48 (upto July, 2020)        |
| Gujarat           | 48025.47     |   4324.38 | 7228.40                | Not provided                   |
| Haryana           | 3255.88      |   2660.63 | 2291.94                | Not provided                   |
| Himachal Pradesh  | 4687.15      |   7631.59 | 8360.66                | Not provided                   |
| Karnataka         | 31062.25     |  28011.2  | 24534.88               | 16019.96 (upto November, 2020) |
| Kerala            | 24541.57     |  28720.8  | 25144.59 (provisional) | 14508.63 (provisional)         |
| Maharashtra       | 15351.80     |  31468.6  | 27727.19               | Not provided                   |
| Meghalaya         | 5561.17      |   7830.68 | 8127.17                | 4642.18 (upto December, 2020)  |
| Mizoram           | 354.14       |    362.06 | 524.27                 | Not provided                   |
| Nagaland          | Not provided |    491    | 1300.09                | 300.06 (upto December, 2020)   |
| Tripura           | 975.67       |   1195.65 | 1382.428               | 535.516 (upto August, 2020)    |
| Uttar Pradesh     | 54591.00     |  35300    | 33201.00               | 11256.00 (upto 31August, 2020) |
| A&N Islands       | 2612.00      |   2603.46 | 1890.61                | 1050.00 (upto December, 2020)  |