Lok Sabha Question No. 1818 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-08
Subject: Shrinking Green Areas
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: DILIP PATEL

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1818

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.03.2016

## Shrinking Green Areas

## 1818. SHRI DILIP PATEL:

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

- (a) whether the ambit of green area has been shrinking due to increase in urabanization and construction of residential and commercial buildings and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has any current policy in this regard, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the progress made so far to save trees and green area from rapid decline due to increase of urbanization and construction work ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a) Forest Survey of India, Dehradun is carrying out the assessment of forest cover of the country  biennially  and  the  findings  are  published  in  India  State  of  Forest  Report.  The latest report in the series is India State of Forest Report 2015. As per this report, the total forest  cover  of  the  country  is  7,01,673  square  kilometers  which  is  21.34%  of  the  total geographical area of the country. There is a net increase of 3775 square kilometers in the forest  cover  of  the  country  as  compared  with  India  State  of  Forest  Report-2013.  The details  showing  forest  cover  and  change  in  forest  cover  in  States/UTs  wise  is  given  in Annexure.
- (b) & (c)   The National Forest Policy, 1988 (NFP) aims to have a minimum of one third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover . The  management and protection of forest  area  is  primarily  the  responsibility  of  concerned  State/UT  Governments.  Action against forest offences is taken under various acts such as the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and respective State Acts/Rules.

As  per the Land  use Classification in  Urban  and Regional  Development  Plans Formulation  and  Implementations  (URDPFI)  Guidelines,  2014,  forests  are  normally covered  under  'Recreational'  use.  For  prescribing  norms,  forests  are  classified  under 'Open Spaces' whereas Parks/Playgrounds are classified as 'Organized Green'. In order to  conserve  and  protect  the  forests  in  and  around  the  cities  and  towns,  the  State Governments need to adhere to the Norms prescribed in the URDPFI Guidelines, 2014. Further, afforestation Programme is taken up under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes such as National Afforestation Programme (NAP), Green India Mission (GIM), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (MGNREGS),  Integrated

Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) which from 2015-16 has been amalgamated as the Watershed Development Component of the 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)'. National Bamboo Mission (NBM) and under Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund  Management  and  Planning  Authority  (CAMPA), different State Plan/ Non- Plan Schemes including Externally Aided Projects.

The Ministry also provides Grants-in-aid to State Governments to supplement the efforts of  the  States  for  forest  management  and  protection.  Funds  are  being  provided  under Intensification Forest  Management  Scheme  (IFMS).  These  funds  are  utilized  for patrolling of the forests, establishment of camps, building fire watch towers, creation and maintenance of fire lines, forest fire control, survey and demarcation of forest areas and strengthening forest infrastructure.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1818 due for answer on 08.03.2016 regarding 'Shrinking Green Areas'

## Change in Forest Cover in States/UTs in India as per India State of Forest Report (ISFR)- 2015

(Area in square kilometers)

| States/UTs          | Geographical Area   | Total Forest Cover 2015   | Total Forest Cover 2013   |   Change in Forest Cover |
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      | 1,60,204            | 24,424                    | 24,357                    |                    67    |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 83,743              | 67,248                    | 67321                     |                   -73    |
| Assam               | 78,438              | 27,623                    | 27671                     |                   -48    |
| Bihar               | 94,163              | 7,288                     | 7291                      |                    -3    |
| Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,191            | 55,586                    | 55621                     |                   -35    |
| Delhi               | 1,483               | 189                       | 180                       |                     9    |
| Goa                 | 3,702               | 2,224                     | 2219                      |                     5    |
| Gujarat             | 1,96,022            | 14,660                    | 14653                     |                     7    |
| Haryana             | 44,212              | 1,584                     | 1586                      |                    -2    |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673              | 14,696                    | 14683                     |                    13    |
| Jammu &Kashmir      | 2,22,236            | 22,988                    | 22538                     |                   450    |
| Jharkhand           | 79,714              | 23,478                    | 23473                     |                     5    |
| Karnataka           | 1,91,791            | 36,421                    | 36132                     |                   289    |
| Kerala              | 38,863              | 19,239                    | 17922                     |                  1317    |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,245            | 77,462                    | 77522                     |                   -60    |
| Maharashtra         | 3,07,713            | 50,628                    | 50632                     |                    -4    |
| Manipur             | 22,327              | 16,994                    | 16990                     |                     4    |
| Meghalaya           | 22,429              | 17,217                    | 17288                     |                   -71    |
| Mizoram             | 21,081              | 18,748                    | 19054                     |                  -306    |
| Nagaland            | 16,579              | 12,966                    | 13044                     |                   -78    |
| Odisha              | 1,55,707            | 50,354                    | 50347                     |                     7    |
| Punjab              | 50,362              | 1,771                     | 1772                      |                    -1    |
| Rajasthan           | 3,42,239            | 16,171                    | 16086                     |                    85    |
| Sikkim              | 7,096               | 3,357                     | 3358                      |                    -1    |
| Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,058            | 26,345                    | 23844                     |                  2501    |
| Telangana           | 114,865             | 21,591                    | 21759                     |                  -168    |
| Tripura             | 10,486              | 7,811                     | 7866                      |                   -55    |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928            | 14,461                    | 14349                     |                   112    |
| Uttarakhand         | 53,483              | 24,240                    | 24508                     |                  -268    |
| West Bengal         | 88,752              | 16,828                    | 16805                     |                    23    |
| A&N Islands         | 8,249               | 6,751                     | 6711                      |                    40    |
| Chandigarh          | 114                 | 22,.03                    | 17.26                     |                     4.77 |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491                 | 206                       | 213                       |                    -7    |
| Daman &Diu          | 112                 | 19.61                     | 9                         |                    10.61 |
| Lakshadweep         | 32                  | 27.06                     | 27.06                     |                     0    |
| Puducherry          | 480                 | 55.38                     | 50.06                     |                     5.32 |
| Grand Total         | 32,87,263           | 701,673                   | 697,898                   |                  3775    |