Lok Sabha Question No. 1530 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-08
Subject: National Forest Policy
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: SANJAY SHAMRAO DHOTRE, BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB, KRISHNAN NARAYANASAMY RAMACHANDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1530

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2015

## National Forest Policy

## 1530.   SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE: SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB: SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHNAGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the National Forest Policy (NFP) envisages one third of the total   land of the country under forest or tree cover as a national goal;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  total  land  under  forest  or  tree  cover  in  the country, as on date, State/UT-wise;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  received  representations/suggestions  from  various quarters including environmental activists over the fast depleting forest cover in the country;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  prevent  depleting  forest  area  and  effective implementation of the NFP across the country?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a) &(b) The National Forest Policy, 1988 aims to have a minimum of one-third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover. As per the India State of Forest Report, 2013, the country's forest and tree cover is 24.01% of geographical area. The  State-wise  details  of  forest  and  tree  cover  are  given  in  Annexure  I  and  II respectively.
- (c) &(d)  The forest and tree cover of the country has shown an overall increase of 6,293.00 sq. km. in forest and tree cover compared to the previous assessment as per the India State of Forest Report, 2011. Some States have shown increase in forest and tree cover, while  some have shown  decline. Further, the protection and management of forest areas is primarily the responsibility of concerned State/ UT Government. Therefore the representations/ suggestions received in this regard are sent to concerned state/ UT Governments for appropriate action.
- (e) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  is  supporting  the State/UT  Governments  in  implementing  the  programmes  of  afforestation,  forest conservation  and  protection  to  achieve  this  goal.    Afforestation  in  the  country  is taken up under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes such as National Afforestation  Programme  (NAP),  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP),  National  Bamboo  Mission  (NBM),  Green  India  Mission  and  different State  Plan/  Non-  Plan  Schemes  including  externally  aided  projects  and  under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). National  Afforestation  Programme  (NAP)  of  the  Ministry  is  a  100%  Centrally Sponsored  Scheme  for  Afforestation  and  tree  plantation  and  eco-restoration  of degraded  forests  and  adjoining  areas  in  the  country.  The  Scheme  is  being implemented  through  a  decentralized  mechanism  of  State  Forest  Development Agency  (SFDA)  at  State  level,  Forest  Development  Agency  (FDA)  at  Forest Division  level  and  Joint  Forest  Management  Committees  (JFMCs)  at  Village levels.  To supplement the efforts of State/ UT Governments towards protection of forests, under the Centrally Sponsored  Scheme  of  Intensification of Forest Management  Scheme,  financial  assistance is provided to States  and  Union Territories.

Statement referred to in reply to the part (b) to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1530  due  for  answer  on  08.12.2015  asked  by  SHRI  SANJAY  DHOTRE,  SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB and SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN regarding National Forest Policy

## State and UTs wise total forest cover as per India State of Forest Report 2013 (Area in square kilometer)

| States/UTs          |   Geographical Area |   Total Forest Cover 2013 |   Total Forest Cover 2011 |   Change in Forest Cover |
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      |              275069 |                  46116    |                  46389    |                  -273    |
| Arunachal Pradesh   |               83743 |                  67321    |                  67410    |                   -89    |
| Assam               |               78438 |                  27671    |                  27673    |                    -2    |
| Bihar               |               94163 |                   7291    |                   6845    |                   446    |
| Chhattisgarh        |              135191 |                  55621    |                  55674    |                   -53    |
| Delhi               |                1483 |                    179.81 |                    176.2  |                     3.61 |
| Goa                 |                3702 |                   2219    |                   2219    |                     0    |
| Gujarat             |              196022 |                  14653    |                  14619    |                    34    |
| Haryana             |               44212 |                   1586    |                   1608    |                   -22    |
| Himachal Pradesh    |               55673 |                  14683    |                  14679    |                     4    |
| Jammu& Kashmir      |              222236 |                  22538    |                  22539    |                    -1    |
| Jharkhand           |               79714 |                  23473    |                  22977    |                   496    |
| Karnataka           |              191791 |                  36132    |                  36194    |                   -62    |
| Kerala              |               38863 |                  17922    |                  17300    |                   622    |
| Madhya Pradesh      |              308245 |                  77522    |                  77700    |                  -178    |
| Maharashtra         |              307713 |                  50632    |                  50646    |                   -14    |
| Manipur             |               22327 |                  16990    |                  17090    |                  -100    |
| Meghalaya           |               22429 |                  17288    |                  17275    |                    13    |
| Mizoram             |               21081 |                  19054    |                  19117    |                   -63    |
| Nagaland            |               16579 |                  13044    |                  13318    |                  -274    |
| Odisha              |              155707 |                  50347    |                  48903    |                  1444    |
| Punjab              |               50362 |                   1772    |                   1764    |                     8    |
| Rajasthan           |              342239 |                  16086    |                  16087    |                    -1    |
| Sikkim              |                7096 |                   3358    |                   3359    |                    -1    |
| Tamil Nadu          |              130058 |                  23844    |                  23625    |                   219    |
| Tripura             |               10486 |                   7866    |                   7977    |                  -111    |
| Uttar Pradesh       |              240928 |                  14349    |                  14338    |                    11    |
| Uttarakhand         |               53483 |                  24508    |                  24496    |                    12    |
| West Bengal         |               88752 |                  16805    |                  12995    |                  3810    |
| Andaman& Nicobar    |                8249 |                   6711    |                   6724    |                   -13    |
| Chandigarh          |                 114 |                     17.26 |                     17    |                     0.26 |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli |                 491 |                    213    |                    211    |                     2    |
| Daman &Diu          |                 112 |                      9.27 |                      6.15 |                     3.12 |
| Lakshadweep         |                  32 |                     27.06 |                     27.06 |                     0    |
| Puducherry          |                 480 |                     50.06 |                     50.06 |                     0    |
| Grand Total         |             3287263 |                 697898    |                 692027    |                  5871    |

Statement referred to in reply to the part (b) to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1530  due  for  answer  on  08.12.2015  asked  by  SHRI  SANJAY  DHOTRE,  SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB and SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN regarding National Forest Policy

## State and UTs wise total tree cover as per India State of Forest Report 2013

| States/UTs          |   Geographical Area | Total Tree Cover 2013   | Total Tree Cover 2011   |   Change in Tree Cover |
|---------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      |              275069 | 7187                    | 7152                    |                     35 |
| Arunachal Pradesh   |               83743 | 660                     | 549                     |                     11 |
| Assam               |               78438 | 1582                    | 1564                    |                     18 |
| Bihar               |               94163 | 2164                    | 2369                    |                   -305 |
| Chhattisgarh        |              135191 | 3463                    | 3866                    |                   -403 |
| Delhi               |                1483 | 118                     | 120                     |                     -2 |
| Goa                 |                3702 | 334                     | 286                     |                     48 |
| Gujarat             |              196022 | 8358                    | 7837                    |                    521 |
| Haryana             |               44212 | 1282                    | 1395                    |                   -113 |
| Himachal Pradesh    |               55673 | 697                     | 623                     |                     74 |
| Jammu &Kashmir      |              222236 | 7664                    | 6550                    |                   1114 |
| Jharkhand           |               79714 | 2629                    | 2914                    |                     15 |
| Karnataka           |              191791 | 5920                    | 5733                    |                    187 |
| Kerala              |               38863 | 3146                    | 2755                    |                    391 |
| Madhya Pradesh      |              308245 | 7087                    | 7090                    |                     -3 |
| Maharashtra         |              307713 | 9142                    | 9079                    |                     63 |
| Manipur             |               22327 | 224                     | 193                     |                     31 |
| Meghalaya           |               22429 | 668                     | 578                     |                     90 |
| Mizoram             |               21081 | 223                     | 190                     |                     43 |
| Nagaland            |               16579 | 372                     | 322                     |                     50 |
| Odisha              |              155707 | 4013                    | 4301                    |                   -288 |
| Punjab              |               50362 | 1499                    | 1699                    |                   -200 |
| Rajasthan           |              342239 | 7860                    | 8272                    |                   -412 |
| Sikkim              |                7096 | 31                      | 25                      |                      6 |
| Tamil Nadu          |              130058 | 4866                    | 4718                    |                    148 |
| Tripura             |               10486 | 213                     | 184                     |                     29 |
| Uttar Pradesh       |              240928 | 6895                    | 7382                    |                   -487 |
| Uttarakhand         |               53483 | 703                     | 642                     |                     61 |
| West Bengal         |               88752 | 2144                    | 2335                    |                   -191 |
| Andaman &Nicobar    |                8249 | 41                      | 39                      |                      2 |
| Chandigarh          |                 114 | 10                      | 10                      |                      0 |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli |                 491 | 29                      | 29                      |                      0 |
| Daman &Diu          |                 112 | 9                       | 9                       |                      0 |
| Lakshadweep         |                  32 | 5                       | 5                       |                      0 |
| Puducherry          |                 480 | 29                      | 31                      |                     -2 |
| Total               |             3287263 | 91,266                  | 90,844                  |                    422 |

(Area in square kilometre)