Lok Sabha Question No. 58 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-21
Subject: Monitoring of Tree Plantation
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Brijmohan Agrawal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 58

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.07.2025

## Monitoring of Tree Plantation

## 58. SHRI BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL:

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

- (a) whether 18 crore saplings claimed to have been planted in Chhattisgarh over a decade out of which a large number of saplings did not survive and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether there has been massive degradation in forest area due to the mining projects in areas like Bastar, Korba and Dantewada in the State of Chhattisgarh and whether the consent of concerned Gram Sabha was taken for the said projects and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether several development projects in the said State are pending for years due to lack of environmental clearance and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  any  concrete  action  plan  has  been  made  for  tree  plantation  on  the  unused land, if so, the details thereof and the total area of land worked upon;
- (e) whether the monitoring of all these Schemes through measures like satellite mapping, geo-tagging or social audit has been ensured by the Government; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor along with the initiatives taken by the Government for upkeeping of the said planted trees?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) In  the  decade  from  2010-11  to  2019-20,  the  State  of  Chhattisgarh  has  successfully planted approximately 18 crore saplings, reflecting a strong commitment to environmental conservation and afforestation. Monitoring efforts have been consistently  undertaken,  and  ninety  percent  of  sites  were  observed  to  have  a  good survival rate, indicating a high overall success rate in plantation efforts.
- (b) A comparative  analysis  of  the  Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI)  reports  from  2013  and 2023 reveals no significant degradation in forest cover in Chhattisgarh. Further, the 2023  report  highlights  a  notable  increase  in  the  area  under  Very  Dense  Forest, reflecting  the  efforts  taken  by  Chattisgarh  in  forest  conservation  and  sustainable management. All forest land diversions for mining in Chhattisgarh are carried out in strict  adherence  to  the  provisions  of  the  Van  (Sankrashan  Evam  Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006, with due consent obtained from Gram Sabhas as per provisions of these acts.
- (c) No proposal related to Chhattisgarh State is pending beyond the stipulated timeline of 105  days  as  per  available  information  portrayed  in  the  PARIVESH  Portal  of  the Ministry.
- (d) Plantations within forest areas are carried out in line with the approved Working Plans and  also  on  land  made  available  by  the  Revenue  Department.  However,  it  may  be noted  that  the  Forest  Department  does  not  maintain  any  specific  category  of  land termed as unused land.
- (e)&(f)  Monitoring  of  schemes  implemented  by  the  Department  of  Forests  and  Climate Change is conducted through manual field inspections and inter-circle verification by concerned officers. For CAMPA-funded  plantations, third-party verification is undertaken,  along  with  GIS-based  monitoring  via  the  e-Green  Watch  portal.  All plantation  sites  are  also  geo-tagged  to  ensure  transparency  and  accountability  in monitoring.

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