Lok Sabha Question No. 126 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-21
Subject: Achievement of Forest Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Varun Chaudhry

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  126

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.07.2025

## Achievement of Forest Cover

## 126.   SHRI VARUN CHAUDHRY:

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

- (a) the details of the forest cover in the country along with the quantum of increase in the forest cover as per the target set during the last ten years, State and area-wise;
- (b) the details of the funds allocated and utilised under the said initiative; and
- (c) the action taken/being taken by the Government to increase the forest cover in the country along with the allocation and achievements during the last five years, Statewise particularly Haryana?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)&(b) Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI),  Dehradun,  an  organization  under  the  Ministry  of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest and tree cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The forest cover assessment is a wall-to-wall mapping exercise based on remote sensing supported by intensive ground verification and field data from the National Forest Inventory.

As per ISFR 2023, the forest cover of the country is 7,15,342.61 square kilometer which is 21.76% of the total geographical area of the country. In the last ten years, the forest  cover  of  the  country  has  increased  from  6,98,712.36  square  kilometer  to 7,15,342.61 square kilometer. Thus there has been an increase of 16,630.25 square kilometer in the forest cover of the country between ISFR 2013 and ISFR 2023. The State/UT wise details of the forest cover during last ten years is given in Annexure-I.

The National Forest Policy (NFP) 1988 envisages the national goal to have a minimum of one-third of the total land area under forest or tree cover and two-thirds of the area under such cover in the hill and mountainous regions of the country.

- (c) In  consonance  with  NFP,  1988,  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has been taking several initiatives for promoting forestry in the country. The afforestation and tree plantation activities are undertaken by States and Union Territories Governments under various State schemes.

This  Ministry  provides  technical  and  financial support  to  the  States/UTs  for protection, conservation and management of forests in the country. For afforestation, the Ministry provides funds under various schemes and programmes such as National Mission for a Green India (GIM), Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme (FPM), Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) and Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI). Afforestation is also carried out by the States/UTs under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

These funds support the efforts of States and Union Territories to enhance forest and tree cover through ecological restoration measures such as afforestation within and outside forest areas, forest landscape restoration, habitat improvement, soil and water conservation, protection activities, and other related interventions.

Over the last five years, an amount of ₹619 crore has been released under the Green India Mission (GIM) to 18 States, which includes ₹7.88 crore released to the State of Haryana.

Further, ₹164.92 Crore has been released under FPM to all States which includes ₹0.17 Crore to the State of Haryana during last five years. An amount of ₹439.24 Crore has been released under Nagar Van Yojana to all States which includes ₹4.49 Crore to the State of Haryana during last five years.

In addition, ₹40,404.46 Crore of Annual Plan of Operations of States/UTs has been approved by the National Authority CAMPA which include ₹982.08 Crore to the State of Haryana during last five years.

It is a result of the comprehensive action taken regarding protection and conservation of forests as well as afforestation efforts that India's forest cover has increased by 3,093.61 square kilometer between ISFR 2019 & ISFR 2023. The States/UTs showing change in the forest cover during year 2019 and 2023 are given in Annexure-II .

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Annexure referred to in reply (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 126  due for answer on 21.07.2025 regarding Achievement of Forest Cover asked by Shri Varun Chaudhry

## State/UT wise details of decadal change in Forest Cover between 2013 and 2023 as per ISFR 2023

(In square kilometer)

| Sl.No.   | State/UT            | Forest Cover (2013)   | Forest Cover (2023)   | Decadal Change in Forest Cover between 2013 & 2023   |
|----------|---------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh      | 26043.53              | 30,084.96             | 4041.43                                              |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh   | 66966.09              | 65,881.57             | -1084.52                                             |
| 3        | Assam               | 27564.90              | 28,313.55             | 748.65                                               |
| 4        | Bihar               | 7283.55               | 7,532.45              | 248.90                                               |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh        | 55606.96              | 55,811.75             | 204.79                                               |
| 6        | Delhi               | 180.32                | 195.28                | 14.96                                                |
| 7        | Goa                 | 2219.00               | 2,265.72              | 46.72                                                |
| 8        | Gujarat             | 14507.77              | 15,016.64             | 508.87                                               |
| 9        | Haryana             | 1583.38               | 1,614.26              | 30.88                                                |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh    | 14683.00              | 15,580.35             | 897.35                                               |
| 11       | Jharkhand           | 23815.38              | 23,765.78             | -49.60                                               |
| 12       | Karnataka           | 36170.68              | 39,254.27             | 3083.59                                              |
| 13       | Kerala              | 18383.95              | 22,059.36             | 3675.41                                              |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh      | 77522.00              | 77,073.44             | -448.56                                              |
| 15       | Maharashtra         | 50632.00              | 50,858.53             | 226.53                                               |
| 16       | Manipur             | 16961.16              | 16,585.46             | -375.70                                              |
| 17       | Meghalaya           | 17241.48              | 16,966.84             | -274.64                                              |
| 18       | Mizoram             | 18978.16              | 17,990.46             | -987.70                                              |
| 19       | Nagaland            | 13017.35              | 12,222.47             | -794.88                                              |
| 20       | Odisha              | 50544.71              | 52,433.56             | 1888.85                                              |
| 21       | Punjab              | 1790.78               | 1,846.09              | 55.31                                                |
| 22       | Rajasthan           | 16086.00              | 16,548.21             | 462.21                                               |
| 23       | Sikkim              | 3358.00               | 3,358.40              | 0.40                                                 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu          | 24245.21              | 26,450.22             | 2205.01                                              |
| 25       | Telangana           | 19956.62              | 21,179.04             | 1222.42                                              |
| 26       | Tripura             | 7948.65               | 7,584.77              | -363.88                                              |
| 27       | Uttar Pradesh       | 14359.72              | 15,045.80             | 686.08                                               |
| 28       | Uttarakhand         | 24508.00              | 24,303.83             | -204.17                                              |
| 29       | West Bengal         | 17101.98              | 16,832.33             | -269.65                                              |
| 30       | A&N Islands         | 6711.00               | 6,732.92              | 21.92                                                |
| 31       | Chandigarh          | 17.26                 | 25.00                 | 7.74                                                 |
| 32       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 219.96                | 225.62                | 5.66                                                 |
|          | Daman& Diu          |                       |                       |                                                      |
| 33       | Jammu &Kashmir      | 20948.27              | 21,346.39             | 398.12                                               |
| 34       | Ladakh              | 1478.00               | 2,285.92              | 807.92                                               |
| 35       | Lakshadweep         | 27.02                 | 27.06                 | 0.04                                                 |
| 36       | Puducherry          | 50.52                 | 44.31                 | -6.21                                                |
|          | Grand Total         | 698712.36             | 7,15,342.61           | 16,630.25                                            |

Annexure referred to in reply (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 126  due for answer on 21.07.2025 regarding Achievement of Forest Cover asked by Shri Varun Chaudhry

State/UT wise details of Forest Cover in ISFR 2019 and ISFR 2023

(In square kilometer)

| Sl.No.   | State/UT            | Forest Cover (ISFR 2019)   | Forest Cover (ISFR 2023)   |
|----------|---------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh      | 29,137.00                  | 30,084.96                  |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh   | 66,688.00                  | 65,881.57                  |
| 3        | Assam               | 28,327.00                  | 28,313.555                 |
| 4        | Bihar               | 7,306.00                   | 7,532.45                   |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh        | 55,611.00                  | 55,811.75                  |
| 6        | Delhi               | 195.44                     | 195.28                     |
| 7        | Goa                 | 2,237.00                   | 2,265.72                   |
| 8        | Gujarat             | 14,857.00                  | 15,016.64                  |
| 9        | Haryana             | 1,602.00                   | 1,614.26                   |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh    | 15,434.00                  | 15,580.35                  |
| 11       | Jharkhand           | 23,611.00                  | 23,765.78                  |
| 12       | Karnataka           | 38,575.00                  | 39,254.27                  |
| 13       | Kerala              | 21,144.00                  | 22,059.36                  |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh      | 77,482.00                  | 77,073.44                  |
| 15       | Maharashtra         | 50,778.00                  | 50,858.53                  |
| 16       | Manipur             | 16,847.00                  | 16,585.46                  |
| 17       | Meghalaya           | 17,119.00                  | 16,966.84                  |
| 18       | Mizoram             | 18,006.00                  | 17,990.46                  |
| 19       | Nagaland            | 12,486.00                  | 12,222.47                  |
| 20       | Odisha              | 51,619.00                  | 52,433.56                  |
| 21       | Punjab              | 1,849.00                   | 1,846.09                   |
| 22       | Rajasthan           | 16,630.00                  | 16,548.21                  |
| 23       | Sikkim              | 3,342.00                   | 3,358.40                   |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu          | 26,364.00                  | 26,450.22                  |
| 25       | Telangana           | 20,582.00                  | 21,179.04                  |
| 26       | Tripura             | 7,726.00                   | 7,584.77                   |
| 27       | Uttar Pradesh       | 14,806.00                  | 15,045.80                  |
| 28       | Uttarakhand         | 24,303.00                  | 24,303.83                  |
| 29       | West Bengal         | 16,902.00                  | 16,832.33                  |
| 30       | A&NIslands          | 6,743.00                   | 6,732.92                   |
| 31       | Chandigarh          | 22.03                      | 25                         |
| 32       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 207                        | 225.62                     |
| 32       | Daman &Diu          | 20.49                      |                            |
| 33       | Jammu &Kashmir      | 21,122.00                  | 21,346.39                  |
| 34       | Ladakh              | 2,490.00                   | 2,285.92                   |
| 35       | Lakshadweep         | 27.1                       | 27.06                      |
| 36       | Puducherry          | 52.41                      | 44.31                      |
|          | Grand Total         | 7,12,249.00                | 7,15,342.61                |