Lok Sabha Question No. 198 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-04
Subject: Steps to Increase Forest Covers
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Debasree Chaudhuri

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 198 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.12.2023

## Steps to Increase Forest Covers

## 198. MS. DEBASREE CHAUDHURI:

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

- (a) the names of States/UTs where forest cover has increased/decreased during the last three years;
- (b) the details of the Schemes implemented by the Government to increase forest cover and develop new forest areas in various cities of the country, State/UT-wise including West Bengal; and
- (c) whether the Government has any scheme to increase forest coverage on the basis of their utility and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)  The Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun conducts biennial assessments of forest  cover and  the  findings  are  published  as  India  State  of  Forest  Report  (ISFR).  The  states  witnessing changes in forest cover between the ISFR-2019 and ISFR-2021 reporting periods are detailed in Annexure-I and Annexure-II .

(b) & (c) The Ministry provides technical and financial assistance to States/UTs under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes namely, Green India Mission (GIM), Forest Fire Prevention and Management  Scheme,  CAMPA,  Nagar  Van  Yojana  and  other  schemes  of  line  ministries  to increase the forest and tree cover of the country.

Green India Mission, initiated during 2015-16, aims to protect, restore and enhance India's forest cover by restoration of degraded forest lands and undertaking afforestation activities in the forest and non-forest areas.

The  Ministry  is  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 2026-27. The Nagar Van Yojana aims  at  enhancing  the  green  cover  in  the  urban  and  peri-urban  areas  and  augmenting biological diversity.

The  Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund  (CAMPA)  is  being  utilized  by  States/UTs  as  per provisions of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 (CAF Act) and CAF Rules, 2018, for taking up compensatory afforestation for compensating the loss of forest & tree cover undergone due to the diversion of forest land for developmental projects.

Afforestation  activities  are  also  taken  up  under  various  programmes  and  schemes  of  line Ministry  such  as  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme,  National Bamboo Mission, Sub-Mission on Agroforestry etc, and under schemes of State Government/UT Administration  through  different  departments,  Non-Government  Organizations,  Civil  Society, 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. 198 due for answer on 04.12.2023 regarding 'Steps to Increase Forest Covers'

## Details of States/UTs showing increase in Forest Cover between ISFR 2019 and ISFR 2021 (Area in Square Kilometer)

|   S. No. | States/UTs          | Geographical area   | ISFR 2019 (a)   | ISFR 2021 (b)   | Change in Forest Cover between ISFR 2021 & ISFR 2019 (b-a)   |
|----------|---------------------|---------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh      | 1,62,968            | 29,137          | 29,784          | 647                                                          |
|        2 | Telangana           | 1,12,077            | 20,582          | 21,214          | 632                                                          |
|        3 | Odisha              | 1,55,707            | 51,619          | 52,156          | 537                                                          |
|        4 | Karnataka           | 1,91,791            | 38,575          | 38,730          | 155                                                          |
|        5 | Jharkhand           | 79,716              | 23,611          | 23,721          | 110                                                          |
|        6 | Kerala              | 38,852              | 21,144          | 21,253          | 109                                                          |
|        7 | Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,192            | 55,611          | 55,717          | 106                                                          |
|        8 | Bihar               | 94,163              | 7,306           | 7,381           | 75                                                           |
|        9 | Gujarat             | 1,96,244            | 14,857          | 14,926          | 69                                                           |
|       10 | Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,060            | 26,364          | 26,419          | 55                                                           |
|       11 | Rajasthan           | 3,42,239            | 16,630          | 16,655          | 25                                                           |
|       12 | Jammu &Kashmir      | 2,22,236            | 21,358          | 21,387          | 29                                                           |
|       13 | Ladakh              | 2,22,236            | 2,254           | 2,272           | 18                                                           |
|       14 | Maharashtra         | 3,07,713            | 50,778          | 50,798          | 20                                                           |
|       15 | Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928            | 14,806          | 14,818          | 12                                                           |
|       16 | Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,252            | 77,482          | 77,493          | 11                                                           |
|       17 | Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673              | 15,434          | 15,443          | 9                                                            |
|       18 | Goa                 | 3,702               | 2,237           | 2,244           | 7                                                            |
|       19 | Uttarakhand         | 53,483              | 24,303          | 24,305          | 2                                                            |
|       20 | Haryana             | 44,212              | 1,602           | 1,603           | 1                                                            |
|       21 | A&N Islands         | 8,249               | 6,743           | 6,744           | 1                                                            |
|       22 | Puducherry          | 490                 | 52.41           | 53.3            | 0.89                                                         |
|       23 | Chandigarh          | 114                 | 22.03           | 22.88           | 0.85                                                         |
|       24 | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491                 | 207.16          |                 |                                                              |
|       25 | Daman &Diu          | 111                 | 20.49           | 227.75          | 0.10                                                         |

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 198 due for answer on 04.12.2023 regarding 'Steps to Increase Forest Covers'

## Details of States/UTs showing decrease in Forest Cover between ISFR 2019 and ISFR 2021

(Area in Square Kilometer)

|   S. No. | States/UTs        | Geographical area   | ISFR 2019 (a)   | ISFR 2021 (b)   |   Change in Forest Cover w.r.t. ISFR 2019 (b-a) |
|----------|-------------------|---------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Arunachal Pradesh | 83,743              | 66,688          | 66,431          |                                         -257    |
|        2 | Manipur           | 22,327              | 16,847          | 16,598          |                                         -249    |
|        3 | Nagaland          | 16,579              | 12,486          | 12,251          |                                         -235    |
|        4 | Mizoram           | 21,081              | 18,006          | 17,820          |                                         -186    |
|        5 | Meghalaya         | 22,429              | 17,119          | 17,046          |                                          -73    |
|        6 | West Bengal       | 88,752              | 16,902          | 16,832          |                                          -70    |
|        7 | Assam             | 78,438              | 28,327          | 28,312          |                                          -15    |
|        8 | Tripura           | 10,486              | 7,726           | 7,722           |                                           -4    |
|        9 | Punjab            | 50,362              | 1,849           | 1,847           |                                           -2    |
|       10 | Sikkim            | 7,096               | 3,342           | 3,341           |                                           -1    |
|       11 | Delhi             | 1,483               | 195.44          | 195             |                                           -0.44 |