Lok Sabha Question No. 1173 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-08
Subject: Steps to increase Forest Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Neeraj Maurya, Shri Devesh Shakya, Shri Rajeev Rai, Dr. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  1173

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025

## Steps to increase Forest Cover

## 1173.     SHRI RAJEEV RAI: SHRI NEERAJ MAURYA: DR. ANGOMCHA BIMOL AKOIJAM: SHRI DEVESH SHAKYA:

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

- (a) the details of forest cover in the country, as on date, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has implemented any Scheme to increase the forest cover in the country during the last five years and the current year, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has conducted any studies to assess the rate of increase/decrease in forest cover in the country and analysed the reasons therefor, if so, the details of the findings of the said studies;
- (d) the details of the decrease/increase in forest cover during the last five years and the current year, State/UT-wise, including district-wise details of Manipur and Uttar Pradesh;
- (e) the details of the funds released under the National Afforestation Programme during the last five years and the current year, State/UT-wise including district-wise for Uttar Pradesh; and
- (f) the details of the total land reclaimed/recovered as forests under the said Scheme during the  last  five  years  and  the  current  year,  State/UT-wise  including  district-wise  for  Uttar Pradesh?

## 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  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 and tree cover of the country is 8,27,356.95 square kilometer which is 25.17% of the total geographical area of the country.  The State/UT wise details of forest cover and tree cover in the country is given in Annexure-I .

(b)&(c) The Ministry provides technical and financial support to States and UTs through various schemes and programmes of the Central Government for enhancement of forest cover including protection, conservation and management of forests in the country. This includes the National Mission for a Green India (GIM),  Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme

(FPM), Nagar Van Yojana (NVY), Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) and Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats.

Further, a plantation campaign ' एक पेड़ माँ क े नाम #Plant4Mother' has also been launched on the  occasion  of  World  Environment  Day  2024  and  in  the  current  year  also  to  undertake plantation activities across the country.  This campaign follows the 'Whole of Government' and 'Whole of Society' approach with participation of all stakeholders for increasing the green cover  in  the  country.  The  campaign  has  contributed  large  scale  plantation  aiding  the enhancement of green cover in the country.

It is a result of the comprehensive action taken regarding protection and conservation of forests as  well  as  afforestation  efforts  that  the  forest  cover  has  increased  from  7,12,249.00  square kilometer in 2019 to 7,15,342.61 square kilometer in 2023.

As per India State of Forest Report 2023, the positive changes in forest cover arise due to natural growth of vegetation, afforestation initiatives, improved protection of plantations and forest  areas,  increase in trees  outside forests,  and  regeneration in shifting cultivation areas, while  negative  changes  occur  due  to  harvesting  of  short-rotation  plantations,  shifting cultivation, encroachment and natural calamities such as storms, floods and landslides.

(d) The State/UT-wise details of the decrease/increase in forest and tree cover during the last four years between ISFR 2019 and ISFR 2023 including the State of Uttar Pradesh and Manipur is given in Annexure-I .

(e)&(f) The  Ministry  has  implemented  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  National Afforestation Programme (NAP) since 2000-01. The overall objective of NAP was ecological restoration of degraded forests and to develop the forest resources with people's participation, with focus on improvement in livelihoods of the forest-fringe communities, especially the poor. At present the scheme (NAP) has been merged with the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) and no new targets have been taken up under NAP. Accordingly, no amount has been released to the States/UTs including State of Uttar Pradesh under the NAP during the last five years and the current year.

*****

Annexure referred to in reply of (a) & (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1173 due for answer on 08.12.2025 regarding 'Steps to increase Forest Cover' asked by Shri Rajeev Rai and others

## State-wise/UT wise details of Forest Cover from ISFR 2019 to ISFR 2023

(In square kilometer)

|   S.N o. | State/UT           | Forest Cover (ISFR 2019)   | Tree Cov er (ISF R 2019 )   | Forest & Tree Cover (2019)   | Forest Cover (ISFR 2023)   | Tree Cover (ISFR 2023)   | Forest and Tree Cover (2023)   | Ch ang e in For est Cov er   | Chang e in Forest & Tree Cover   |
|----------|--------------------|----------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------------|------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh     | 29,137. 00                 | 3,91 4                      | 33,051 .00                   | 30,084. 96                 | 5,340.0 2                | 35,424.98                      | 947. 96                      | 2,373. 98                        |
|        2 | Arunacha l Pradesh | 66,688. 00                 | 848                         | 67,536 .00                   | 65,881. 57                 | 1,201.6 3                | 67,083.20                      | - 806. 43                    | - 452.80                         |
|        3 | Assam              | 28,327. 00                 | 1,40 8                      | 29,735 .00                   | 28,313. 555                | 2,101.4 6                | 30,415.02                      | - 13.4 5                     | 680.01                           |
|        4 | Bihar              | 7,306.0 0                  | 2,00 3                      | 9,309. 00                    | 7,532.4 5                  | 2,370.2 1                | 9,902.66                       | 226. 45                      | 593.66                           |
|        5 | Chhattisg arh      | 55,611. 00                 | 4,24 8                      | 59,859 .00                   | 55,811. 75                 | 6,538.7 0                | 62,350.45                      | 200. 75                      | 2,491. 45                        |
|        6 | Delhi              | 195.44                     | 129                         | 324.44                       | 195.28                     | 176.03                   | 371.31                         | - 0.16                       | 46.87                            |
|        7 | Goa                | 2,237.0 0                  | 272                         | 2,509. 00                    | 2,265.7 2                  | 257.82                   | 2,523.54                       | 28.7 2                       | 14.54                            |
|        8 | Gujarat            | 14,857. 00                 | 6,91 2                      | 21,769 .00                   | 15,016. 64                 | 6,632.2 9                | 21,648.93                      | 159. 64                      | - 120.07                         |
|        9 | Haryana            | 1,602.0 0                  | 1,56 5                      | 3,167. 00                    | 1,614.2 6                  | 1,693.0 2                | 3,307.28                       | 12.2 6                       | 140.28                           |
|       10 | Himachal Pradesh   | 15,434. 00                 | 829                         | 16,263 .00                   | 15,580. 35                 | 855.07                   | 16,435.42                      | 146. 35                      | 172.42                           |
|       11 | Jharkhan d         | 23,611. 00                 | 2,65 7                      | 26,268 .00                   | 23,765. 78                 | 3,637.5 5                | 27,403.33                      | 154. 78                      | 1,135. 33                        |
|       12 | Karnatak a         | 38,575. 00                 | 6,25 7                      | 44,832 .00                   | 39,254. 27                 | 7,779.1 5                | 47,033.42                      | 679. 27                      | 2,201. 42                        |
|       13 | Kerala             | 21,144. 00                 | 2,93 6                      | 24,080 .00                   | 22,059. 36                 | 2,905.9 4                | 24,965.30                      | 915. 36                      | 885.30                           |
|       14 | Madhya Pradesh     | 77,482. 00                 | 8,33 9                      | 85,821 .00                   | 77,073. 44                 | 8,650.1 4                | 85,723.58                      | - 408. 56                    | -97.42                           |
|       15 | Maharash tra       | 50,778. 00                 | 10,8 06                     | 61,584 .00                   | 50,858. 53                 | 14,524. 88               | 65,383.41                      | 80.5 3                       | 3,799. 41                        |
|       16 | Manipur            | 16,847. 00                 | 173                         | 17,020 .00                   | 16,585. 46                 | 209.82                   | 16,795.28                      | - 261. 54                    | - 224.72                         |

|   17 | Meghalay a                          | 17,119. 00   | 710    | 17,829 .00   | 16,966. 84   | 720.56     | 17,687.40   | - 152. 16   | - 141.60    |
|------|-------------------------------------|--------------|--------|--------------|--------------|------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|   18 | Mizoram                             | 18,006. 00   | 441    | 18,447 .00   | 17,990. 46   | 567.80     | 18,558.26   | - 15.5 4    | 111.26      |
|   19 | Nagaland                            | 12,486. 00   | 362    | 12,848 .00   | 12,222. 47   | 394.02     | 12,616.49   | - 263. 53   | - 231.51    |
|   20 | Odisha                              | 51,619. 00   | 4,64 8 | 56,267 .00   | 52,433. 56   | 6,163.4 5  | 58,597.01   | 814. 56     | 2,330. 01   |
|   21 | Punjab                              | 1,849.0 0    | 1,59 2 | 3,441. 00    | 1,846.0 9    | 1,475.1 5  | 3,321.24    | - 2.91      | - 119.76    |
|   22 | Rajasthan                           | 16,630. 00   | 8,11 2 | 24,742 .00   | 16,548. 21   | 10,841. 12 | 27,389.33   | - 81.7      | 2,647. 33   |
|   23 | Sikkim                              | 3,342.0 0    | 36     | 3,378. 00    | 3,358.4 0    | 48.33      | 3,406.73    | 16.4 0      | 28.73       |
|   24 | Tamil Nadu                          | 26,364. 00   | 4,83 0 | 31,194 .00   | 26,450. 22   | 5,370.7 2  | 31,820.94   | 86.2 2      | 626.94      |
|   25 | Telangan a                          | 20,582. 00   | 2,51 4 | 23,096 .00   | 21,179. 04   | 3,517.6 6  | 24,696.70   | 597. 04     | 1,600. 70   |
|   26 | Tripura                             | 7,726.0 0    | 231    | 7,957. 00    | 7,584.7 7    | 247.56     | 7,832.33    | - 141. 23   | - 124.67    |
|   27 | Uttar Pradesh                       | 14,806. 00   | 7,34 2 | 22,148 .00   | 15,045. 80   | 8,950.9 2  | 23,996.72   | 239. 80     | 1,848. 72   |
|   28 | Uttarakha nd                        | 24,303. 00   | 841    | 25,144 .00   | 24,303. 83   | 1,231.1 4  | 25,534.97   | 0.83        | 390.97      |
|   29 | West Bengal                         | 16,902. 00   | 2,00 6 | 18,908 .00   | 16,832. 33   | 2,938.1 2  | 19,770.45   | - 69.6 7    | 862.45      |
|   30 | A&N Islands                         | 6,743.0 0    | 41     | 6,784. 00    | 6,732.9 2    | 26.97      | 6,759.89    | - 10.0 8    | -24.11      |
|   31 | Chandiga rh                         | 22.03        | 25     | 47.03        | 25           | 21.18      | 46.18       | 2.97        | -0.85       |
|   32 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman& Diu | 227.49       | 33     | 260.49       | 225.62       | 36.83      | 262.45      | - 1.87      | 1.96        |
|   33 | Jammu& Kashmir                      | 21,122. 00   | 7,94 4 | 29,066 .00   | 21,346. 39   | 3666.97    | 25,013.36   | 224. 39     | - 4,052. 64 |
|   34 | Ladakh                              | 2,490.0 0    | -      | 2,490. 00    | 2,285.9 2    | 893.02     | 3,178.94    | - 204. 08   | 688.94      |
|   35 | Lakshad weep                        | 27.1         | 0.29   | 27.39        | 27.06        | 0.20       | 27.26       | - 0.04      | -0.13       |
|   36 | Puducher ry                         | 52.41        | 23     | 75.41        | 44.31        | 28.89      | 73.20       | - 8.10      | -2.21       |

| Grand   |   7,12,24 |   95,0 |   8,07,2 |   7,15,34 |   1,12,01 |   8,27,356.9 |   3,09 |   20,080 |
|---------|-----------|--------|----------|-----------|-----------|--------------|--------|----------|
| Total   |         9 |     27 |       76 |      2.61 |      4.34 |            6 |   3.61 |      0.2 |