Lok Sabha Question No. 2220 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-05
Subject: Forest Land on Lease
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Balwant Baswant Wankhade

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2220

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2024

## Forest Land on Lease

## 2220.      SHRI BALWANT BASWANT WANKHADE:

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

- (a) the total area of forest land in the country, State-wise including Maharashtra State;
- (b) the details of the forest land leased by concerned officers to individual/Institutions/Trusts/Companies/Forest-Institutions  for  forest  or  non-forest related purposes; and
- (c) the  details  of  area  of  total  forest  land  under  unauthorised  or  illegal  possession  of individuals/Organisations or Companies, State-wise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, an organisation under the Ministry carries out the assessment of forest cover of the country biennially  and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report (ISFR). As per the India State of Forest Report  (ISFR)  2021,  the  total  Recorded  Forest  Area  in  the  Country  is  7,75,288 square kilometer. The State and Union Territory wise detail including the State of Maharashtra is attached as an Annexure.
- (b) & (c) The 'land' is a State subject. The forest areas and the legal boundaries thereof are determined and maintained by the concerned State Government/UT Administration.  Accordingly,  the  final  decision  to  assign  on  lease  or  allot  the forest  land  is  within  the  domain  of  the  concerned  State  Government/  UT Administration. However, the prior approval of the Central Government under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 is required for using any forest land for non-forestry purposes.

Further, the protection and management of forests is primarily the responsibility of the  concerned  State  Government  /UT  Administration,  which  takes  appropriate actions to remove  unauthorised/illegal possession of forest land under the provisions  of  the  Indian  Forest  Act,  1927,  Wildlife  (Protection)  Act,  1972  and other State specific laws and Rules made thereunder.

Annexure

Annexure referred to part (a)  of Lok  Sabha Unstarred  Question  No.  †2220  to  be answered  on  05.08.2024  on  'Forest  Land  on  Lease'  by  Shri  Balwant  Baswant Wankhade'

| Recorded Forest Areas (RFA) in States/UTs as per ISFR-2021 (Area in square kilometer)   | Recorded Forest Areas (RFA) in States/UTs as per ISFR-2021 (Area in square kilometer)   | Recorded Forest Areas (RFA) in States/UTs as per ISFR-2021 (Area in square kilometer)   | Recorded Forest Areas (RFA) in States/UTs as per ISFR-2021 (Area in square kilometer)   | Recorded Forest Areas (RFA) in States/UTs as per ISFR-2021 (Area in square kilometer)   | Recorded Forest Areas (RFA) in States/UTs as per ISFR-2021 (Area in square kilometer)   | Recorded Forest Areas (RFA) in States/UTs as per ISFR-2021 (Area in square kilometer)   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                                                                  | State/ UT                                                                               | State/ UT                                                                               | Geographical Area (GA)                                                                  | RFA (in different categories)                                                           | RFA (in different categories)                                                           | Total RFA (2021)                                                                        |
|                                                                                         |                                                                                         |                                                                                         |                                                                                         | Reserved Forest                                                                         | Protected Forest Unclassed Forests*                                                     |                                                                                         |
| 1                                                                                       | Andhra Pradesh                                                                          | Andhra Pradesh                                                                          | 1,62,968                                                                                | 31,959                                                                                  | 5,069 230                                                                               | 37,258                                                                                  |
| 2                                                                                       | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                       | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                       | 83,743                                                                                  | 12,371                                                                                  | 11,857 27,312                                                                           | 51,540                                                                                  |
| 3                                                                                       | Assam                                                                                   | Assam                                                                                   | 78,438                                                                                  | 17,864                                                                                  | 0 8,972                                                                                 | 26,836                                                                                  |
| 4                                                                                       | Bihar                                                                                   | Bihar                                                                                   | 94,163                                                                                  | 693                                                                                     | 6,183 566                                                                               | 7,442                                                                                   |
| 5                                                                                       | Chhattisgarh                                                                            | Chhattisgarh                                                                            | 1,35,192                                                                                | 25,897                                                                                  | 24,036 9,883                                                                            | 59,816                                                                                  |
| 6                                                                                       | Delhi                                                                                   | Delhi                                                                                   | 1,483                                                                                   | 78                                                                                      | 25 0                                                                                    | 103                                                                                     |
| 7                                                                                       | Goa                                                                                     | Goa                                                                                     | 3,702                                                                                   | 119                                                                                     | 755 397                                                                                 | 1,271                                                                                   |
| 8                                                                                       | Gujarat                                                                                 | Gujarat                                                                                 | 196,244                                                                                 | 14,574                                                                                  | 2,898 4,398                                                                             | 21,870                                                                                  |
| 9                                                                                       | Haryana                                                                                 | Haryana                                                                                 | 44,212                                                                                  | 249                                                                                     | 1,158 152                                                                               | 1,559                                                                                   |
| 10                                                                                      | Himachal Pradesh                                                                        | Himachal Pradesh                                                                        | 55,673                                                                                  | 1,883                                                                                   | 28,887 7,178                                                                            | 37,948                                                                                  |
| 11                                                                                      | Jharkhand                                                                               | Jharkhand                                                                               | 79,716                                                                                  | 4,500                                                                                   | 18,922 1,696                                                                            | 25,118                                                                                  |
| 12                                                                                      | Karnataka                                                                               | Karnataka                                                                               | 191,791                                                                                 | 28,690                                                                                  | 3,931 5,663                                                                             | 38,284                                                                                  |
| 13                                                                                      | Kerala                                                                                  | Kerala                                                                                  | 38,852                                                                                  | 11,522                                                                                  | 0 0                                                                                     | 11,522                                                                                  |
| 14                                                                                      | Madhya Pradesh                                                                          | Madhya Pradesh                                                                          | 3,08,252                                                                                | 61,886                                                                                  | 31,098 1,705                                                                            | 94,689                                                                                  |
| 15                                                                                      | Maharashtra                                                                             | Maharashtra                                                                             | 3,07,713                                                                                | 50,865                                                                                  | 6,433 4,654                                                                             | 61,952                                                                                  |
| 16                                                                                      | Manipur                                                                                 | Manipur                                                                                 | 22,327                                                                                  | 984                                                                                     | 3,254 13,180                                                                            | 17,418                                                                                  |
| 17                                                                                      | Meghalaya                                                                               | Meghalaya                                                                               | 22,429                                                                                  | 1,113                                                                                   | 12 8,371                                                                                | 9,496                                                                                   |
| 18                                                                                      | Mizoram                                                                                 | Mizoram                                                                                 | 21,081                                                                                  | 4,499                                                                                   | 1,823 1,157                                                                             | 7,479                                                                                   |
| 19                                                                                      | Nagaland                                                                                | Nagaland                                                                                | 16,579                                                                                  | 234                                                                                     | 0 8,389                                                                                 | 8,623                                                                                   |
| 20                                                                                      | Odisha                                                                                  | Odisha                                                                                  | 1,55,707                                                                                | 36,049                                                                                  | 25,133 22                                                                               | 61,204                                                                                  |
| 21                                                                                      | Punjab                                                                                  | Punjab                                                                                  | 50,362                                                                                  | 44                                                                                      | 1,137 1,903                                                                             | 3,084                                                                                   |
| 22                                                                                      | Rajasthan                                                                               | Rajasthan                                                                               | 3,42,239                                                                                | 12,176                                                                                  | 18,543 2,144                                                                            | 32,863                                                                                  |
| 23                                                                                      | Sikkim                                                                                  | Sikkim                                                                                  | 7,096                                                                                   | 5,452                                                                                   | 389 0                                                                                   | 5,841                                                                                   |
| 24                                                                                      | Tamil Nadu                                                                              | Tamil Nadu                                                                              | 1,30,060                                                                                | 20,523                                                                                  | 1,053 1,612                                                                             | 23,188                                                                                  |
| 25                                                                                      | Telangana                                                                               | Telangana                                                                               | 1,12,077                                                                                | 25,800                                                                                  | 1,592 296                                                                               | 27,688                                                                                  |
| 26                                                                                      | Tripura                                                                                 | Tripura                                                                                 | 10,486                                                                                  | 3,588                                                                                   | 2 2,704                                                                                 | 6,294                                                                                   |
| 27                                                                                      | Uttar Pradesh**                                                                         | Uttar Pradesh**                                                                         | 2,40,928                                                                                | 11,560                                                                                  | 296 5,528                                                                               | 17,384                                                                                  |
| 28                                                                                      | Uttarakhand                                                                             | Uttarakhand                                                                             | 53,483                                                                                  | 26,547                                                                                  | 9,885 1,568                                                                             | 38,000                                                                                  |
| 29                                                                                      | West Bengal                                                                             | West Bengal                                                                             | 88,752                                                                                  | 7,054                                                                                   | 3,772 1,053                                                                             | 11,879                                                                                  |
| 30                                                                                      | A &NIslands                                                                             | A &NIslands                                                                             | 8,249                                                                                   | 5,613                                                                                   | 1,558 0                                                                                 | 7,171                                                                                   |
| 31                                                                                      | Chandigarh                                                                              | Chandigarh                                                                              | 114                                                                                     | 32                                                                                      | 0 3                                                                                     | 35                                                                                      |
| 32                                                                                      | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu                                                      | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu                                                      | 602                                                                                     | 203                                                                                     | 5 6                                                                                     | 214                                                                                     |
| 33                                                                                      | Jammu& Kashmir                                                                          | Shape file Area*** (54,624)                                                             | 2,22,236                                                                                | 17,648                                                                                  | 2,551 0                                                                                 | 20,199                                                                                  |
| 34                                                                                      | Ladakh Shape file Area***                                                               | Ladakh Shape file Area***                                                               |                                                                                         | 7                                                                                       | 0 0                                                                                     | 7                                                                                       |
| 35                                                                                      | (1,68,055) Lakshadweep                                                                  | (1,68,055) Lakshadweep                                                                  | 30                                                                                      | 0                                                                                       | 0                                                                                       | 0                                                                                       |
|                                                                                         |                                                                                         |                                                                                         |                                                                                         |                                                                                         | 0                                                                                       |                                                                                         |
| 36 Puducherry                                                                           | 36 Puducherry                                                                           | 36 Puducherry                                                                           | 490                                                                                     | 0                                                                                       | 2 11                                                                                    | 13                                                                                      |