Lok Sabha Question No. 2397 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Afforestation and Reforestation Schemes
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Smt. Bharti Pardhi, Shri Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne, Shri Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2397

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Afforestation and Reforestation Schemes

2397. SHRI SHRIRANG APPA CHANDU BARNE:

SMT. BHARTI PARDHI:

SHRI BHAUSAHEB RAJARAM WAKCHAURE:

SHRI SANJAY HARIBHAU JADHAV:

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

- (a) the  details  of  afforestation  and  reforestation  work  done  under  the  Green  India Mission/National Afforestation Programme/"Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" schemes during the last three years and the current year, State-wise including Maharashtra;
- (b) the  details  of  total  area  covered  under  afforestation  and  reforestation  programmes especially in Maharashtra in comparison with the target set in this regard;
- (c) the details of the existing mechanisms to ensure the survival of the saplings planted thereof along with the details of the post plantation monitoring framework; and
- (d) the details of species planted during the said years along with the difference between native  and  exotic  species  and  the  ecological  impact  of  these  plantations  on  local biodiversity and water level?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) & (b)  The Ministry is undertaking afforestation and reforestation work through ongoing schemes such as the National Mission for a Green India (GIM), Nagar Van Yojana (NVY), and the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitat and Tangible Benefits (MISHTI), among others. Afforestation activities are also being carried out through the Compensatory  Afforestation Fund  Management  and  Planning  Authority (CAMPA). The Ministry also promotes mass plantation drives on occasions such as International Day of Forests, World Environment Day, Van Mahotsav, Wildlife Week, etc., and raises awareness through campaigns. The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, launched on 5 th  June 2024, encourages citizens to plant trees in honour of one's mother.

The  overall  afforestation  and  reforestation  work  taken  up  by  the  States/UTs, including Maharashtra, under various schemes/programs is detailed in Annexure1 .  In  the  current  year,  Maharashtra  has  reported  the  plantation  of  2,616,633 saplings  under  the  overarching  ' Ek  Ped  Maa  Ke  Naam' campaign  which  is implemented in convergence with various afforestation and reforestation schemes/programs.

- (c) Monitoring of plantations follows a multi-tiered approach  involving  both Central and State mechanisms. State Forest Departments conduct annual physical verification  and  third-party  monitoring,  and  submit .kml files  and  geo-tagged photographs to the Ministry. Corrective maintenance drives are taken up based on survival  assessments.  The  Ministry  has  also  launched  the  National  Afforestation Monitoring  System  (NAMS)  to  strengthen  centralized,  transparent  monitoring using  geospatial  tools.  The  Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI),  a  premier  national organisation under the Ministry, undertakes forest resource surveys and assessment of changes in forest cover.
- (d) Species selection for afforestation activities is based on ecological suitability and site-specific  conditions, with  a  strong  preference for  native  species,  and it  varies from State to State. Exotic species are avoided unless they serve specific ecological or  socio-economic  purposes  and  are  approved  by  the  concerned  State  authority. Native species contribute to maintaining local biodiversity, soil health, and water table  recharge,  while  exotic  species,  if  not  carefully  managed,  may  alter  local ecology, affect water availability, or displace native flora/fauna. States have been encouraged  to  prioritize  native,  multi-species  with  site-specific  suitability  for plantations for ecological and community benefits.

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Annexure referred to in reply of part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2397 regarding  'Afforestation  and  Reforestation  Schemes'  raised  by  Shri  Shrirang  Appa Chandu Barne; Smt. Bharti Pardhi; Shri Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure; Shri Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav due for reply on 04.08.2025.

State/UT- wise details of plantation activities under various schemes in last three years and current year:

| Sr No   | State/UT                           |   Area Planted (Hectares) |   Seedlings (in Lakhs) |
|---------|------------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh                     |                    210106 |                   1587 |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh                  |                     17751 |                     43 |
| 3       | Assam                              |                     26981 |                    421 |
| 4       | Bihar                              |                    159423 |                   1036 |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh                       |                    127272 |                    886 |
| 6       | Goa                                |                       668 |                      5 |
| 7       | Gujarat                            |                    707153 |                   4933 |
| 8       | Haryana                            |                     70300 |                    574 |
| 9       | Himachal Pradesh                   |                     61734 |                    248 |
| 10      | Jharkhand                          |                    108793 |                    707 |
| 11      | Karnataka                          |                    153105 |                    861 |
| 12      | Kerala                             |                      5281 |                     49 |
| 13      | Madhya Pradesh                     |                    254284 |                   1653 |
| 14      | Maharashtra                        |                     78599 |                    836 |
| 15      | Manipur                            |                     12255 |                     95 |
| 16      | Meghalaya                          |                      2922 |                     29 |
| 17      | Mizoram                            |                      7681 |                     65 |
| 18      | Nagaland                           |                      7148 |                     30 |
| 19      | Odisha                             |                    237239 |                   1675 |
| 20      | Punjab                             |                     78580 |                    497 |
| 21      | Rajasthan                          |                    299214 |                   1439 |
| 22      | Sikkim                             |                      9197 |                     60 |
| 23      | Tamil Nadu                         |                    116415 |                    577 |
| 24      | Telangana                          |                    848975 |                   5738 |
| 25      | Tripura                            |                     43135 |                    245 |
| 26      | Uttarakhand                        |                    112469 |                    731 |
| 27      | Uttar Pradesh                      |                   1482150 |                  10846 |
| 28      | West Bengal                        |                     66786 |                    397 |
| 29      | Andaman& Nicobar Islands           |                     10395 |                     52 |
| 30      | Chandigarh                         |                        84 |                      7 |
| 31      | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman& Diu |                      2094 |                     33 |
| 32      | Delhi                              |                     21131 |                     90 |
| 33      | Jammu and Kashmir                  |                     34480 |                    492 |
| 34      | Ladakh                             |                       334 |                      9 |
| 35      | Lakshadweep                        |                        41 |                      0 |
| 36      | Puducherry                         |                       860 |                      5 |
|         | Total                              |                   5375034 |                  36949 |