Lok Sabha Question No. 392 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-05
Subject: Increase in Forest Area
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sunil Kumar Soni, Parbatbhai Savabhai Patel, Rajendra Dhedya  Gavit, Sunil Baburao Mendhe

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 392

ANSWERED ON 05/02/2024

## Increase in Forest Area

392.    SHRI SUNIL KUMAR SONI:

SHRI PARBATBHAI SAVABHAI PATEL:

SHRI RAJENDRA DHEDYA GAVIT:

SHRI SUNIL BABURAO MENDHE:

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

- (a) whether there has been an increase in the total forest area of the country during the last five years and if so, the details thereof, State-wise including Chhattisgarh;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to increase the forest land in the country during the last five years; and
- (c) the details of various schemes to increase the forest area and the amount of funds released thereunder by the Government to the State of Chhattisgarh during the last five years?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry carries out the assessment of forest cover biennially and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report  (ISFR).  There  has  been  an  increase  in  forest  cover  of  the  country  by  5516  square kilometre between ISFR 2017 and ISFR 2021. The State/UTs wise details of change in Forest Cover including the State of Chhattisgarh between ISFR 2017 and ISFR 2021 are given in Annexure-I.
- (b)  &  (c)  The  Ministry  supports  the  States/Union  Territories  for  carrying  out  afforestation activities through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, namely Green India Mission. This flagship afforestation scheme of the Ministry, aims to  undertake afforestation activities in degraded forest areas with people's participation. The scheme promotes environmental conservation and rain water harvesting through afforestation and tree plantation, restoration of degraded forest landscapes, habitat improvement including through soil moisture conservation activities. The details of fund released under Green India Mission to the State of Chhattisgarh during the last five years are as follows.

| Year    | Fund released under GIM (Rs. In Crore)   |
|---------|------------------------------------------|
| 2018-19 | 5.36                                     |
| 2019-20 | 5.04                                     |
| 2020-21 | 1.66                                     |
| 2021-22 | 6.12                                     |
| 2022-23 | Nil                                      |
| 2023-24 | Nil                                      |
| Total   | 18.18                                    |

Afforestation activities  are  also  undertaken  in  a  major  way  under  the  Compensatory Afforestation Fund as per the provisions of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and the Rules made there under.  The approved Annual Plan of Operations (APO) for State of Chhattisgarh for undertaking activities under the State CAMPA fund during the last five years are as follows: -

| Year    |   Amount approved inAPO under State CAMPA (Rs. In Crore) |
|---------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| 2018-19 |                                                   897.52 |
| 2019-20 |                                                   848.51 |
| 2020-21 |                                                  1347.02 |
| 2021-22 |                                                  1500.75 |
| 2022-23 |                                                   688.47 |
| 2023-24 |                                                   471.36 |

The Ministry is also implementing the Nagar Van Yojana which envisages creation of 600 Nagar Vans and 400 Nagar Vatika in the country during the period 2020-21 to 202627. The Nagar Van Yojana aims at enhancing the green cover in the urban and peri-urban areas and augmenting biological diversity.

Afforestation activities are also taken up under various programmes and schemes of line Ministries  such  as  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme, National Bamboo Mission, Sub-Mission on Agroforestry etc. and under schemes of State Governments/UT  Administrations  through  different  departments,  Non-Government Organizations, Civil Societies, Corporate bodies etc. The multi departmental efforts have yielded good results in conserving and enhancing forest cover in the country.

**********

## Annexure-I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 392 due for answer on 05.02.2024 regarding 'Increase in Forest Area' State/UTs wise details of change in Forest Cover from ISFR 2017 to ISFR 2021

(Area in Square Kilometre)

|       |                     |                   | Forest Cover   | Forest Cover   | Change in Forest Cover between ISFR 2017 &   |
|-------|---------------------|-------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------------------------------------|
| S.No. | States/UTs          | Geographical area | ISFR 2017 (a)  | ISFR 2021 (b)  | ISFR 2021 (b-a)                              |
| 1     | Andhra Pradesh      | 1,62,968          | 28,147         | 29,784         | 1,637                                        |
| 2     | Arunachal Pradesh   | 83,743            | 66,964         | 66,431         | -533                                         |
| 3     | Assam               | 78,438            | 28,105         | 28,312         | 207                                          |
| 4     | Bihar               | 94,163            | 7,299          | 7,381          | 82                                           |
| 5     | Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,192          | 55,547         | 55,717         | 170                                          |
| 6     | Delhi               | 1,483             | 192.41         | 195.00         | 2.59                                         |
| 7     | Goa                 | 3,702             | 2,229          | 2,244          | 15                                           |
| 8     | Gujarat             | 1,96,244          | 14,757         | 14,926         | 169                                          |
| 9     | Haryana             | 44,212            | 1,588          | 1,603          | 15                                           |
| 10    | Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673            | 15,100         | 15,443         | 343                                          |
| 11    | Jharkhand           | 79,716            | 23,553         | 23,721         | 168                                          |
| 12    | Karnataka           | 1,91,791          | 37,550         | 38,730         | 1,180                                        |
| 13    | Kerala              | 38,852            | 20,321         | 21,253         | 932                                          |
| 14    | Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,252          | 77,414         | 77,493         | 79                                           |
| 15    | Maharashtra         | 3,07,713          | 50,682         | 50,798         | 116                                          |
| 16    | Manipur             | 22,327            | 17,346         | 16,598         | -748                                         |
| 17    | Meghalaya           | 22,429            | 17,146         | 17,046         | -100                                         |
| 18    | Mizoram             | 21,081            | 18,186         | 17,820         | -366                                         |
| 19    | Nagaland            | 16,579            | 12,489         | 12,251         | -238                                         |
| 20    | Odisha              | 1,55,707          | 51,345         | 52,156         | 811                                          |
| 21    | Punjab              | 50,362            | 1,837          | 1,847          | 10                                           |
| 22    | Rajasthan           | 3,42,239          | 16,572         | 16,655         | 83                                           |
| 23    | Sikkim              | 7,096             | 3,344          | 3,341          | -3                                           |
| 24    | Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,060          | 26,281         | 26,419         | 138                                          |
| 25    | Telangana           | 1,12,077          | 20,419         | 21,214         | 795                                          |
| 26    | Tripura             | 10,486            | 7,726          | 7,722          | -4                                           |
| 27    | Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928          | 14,679         | 14,818         | 139                                          |
| 28    | Uttarakhand         | 53,483            | 24,295         | 24,305         | 10                                           |
| 29    | West Bengal         | 88,752            | 16,847         | 16,832         | -15                                          |
| 30    | A&N Islands         | 8,249             | 6,742          | 6,744          | 2                                            |
| 31    | Chandigarh          | 114               | 21.56          | 22.88          | 1.32                                         |
| 32    | Dadra& Nagar Haveli | 491               | 207            | 227.75         | 0.26                                         |
| 33    | Daman &Diu          | 111               | 20.49          |                | -1,854                                       |
| 34    | Jammu &Kashmir      |                   | 23,241         | 21,387         |                                              |
| 35    | Ladakh              | 2,22,236          | 0              | 2,272          | 2,272                                        |
| 36    | Lakshadweep         | 30                | 27.10          | 27.10          | 0.00                                         |
| 37    | Puducherry          | 490               | 53.67          | 53.30          | -0.37                                        |
|       | Grand Total         | 32,87,469         | 7,08,273       | 7,13,789       | 5,516                                        |