Lok Sabha Question No. 1550 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-09
Subject: Illegal Deforestation
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Arun Kumar Sagar

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1550 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026

## Illegal Deforestation

## 1550. SHRI ARUN KUMAR SAGAR:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  illegal  deforestation  in  the  country  putting  an adverse effect on the environment;
- (b) if so, the details of the percentage of forest area reduction during the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the details of the steps taken by the Government to stop deforestation; and
- (d) the  details  of  the  discussion  held  with  the  concerned  State  Governments  regarding deforestation as on date and during the last three years and the current year?

## ANSWER

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

(a) and (b) The Protection and management of forest are primarily the responsibility of the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. There are legal frameworks for the protection and management of forest resources of the country which include, the Indian Forest Act 1927, Van (Sanrakshan  Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980, and the State Forest Acts, Tree Preservation Acts  and  Rules,  etc.  The  State  Governments  /UT  Administrations  take  appropriate  actions  to protect forest and tree resources and address deforestation under the provisions made under these Acts/ Rules.

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  kilometre which is  25.17%  of  the  geographical  area  of  the  country.    As  per  latest  ISFR  2023,  the  total forest and tree cover of the country has increased by 1,445.81 square kilometre as compared to the  last  assessment  of  ISFR  2021.The  State/UT  wise  details  of  forest  cover  in  the  country  is given in Annexure .

(c)  and  (d)  The  Ministry  provides  technical  and  financial  support  to  the  States  and  Union Territories  through  various  schemes  and  programmes  of the  Central  Government for increasing forest and tree cover, including protection, conservation and sustainable management of forests in the country. These include, inter alia, the National Mission for a Green India (GIM), Nagar Van Yojana  (NVY),  Mangrove  Initiative  for  Shoreline  Habitats  and  Tangible  Incomes  (MISHTI), Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund  Management  and  Planning  Authority  (CAMPA),  Integrated Development  of  Wildlife  Habitats,  and  forest  fire  prevention  and  management  schemes.  In addition,  States  and  Union  Territories  implement  State-specific  afforestation,  reforestation  and forest  conservation  schemes  in  accordance  with  their  ecological,  climatic  and  geographic conditions.

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 to large scale plantation aiding the enhancement of green cover in the country.

Matters  relating  to  protection,  management  and  deforestation  of  forests  are  reviewed  through existing  institutional  mechanisms.  Monitoring  and  review  of  activities  are  carried  out  through approval  of  Annual  Plans  of  Operation  and  examination  of  progress  and  utilisation  reports submitted by the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations under various schemes and programmes. Implementation of activities and compliance with applicable Acts and Rules are undertaken by the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.

*****

State/UT wise details of Forest Cover from ISFR 2021to ISFR 2023 (Area in Square kilometer)

| Sl. No.                  | State/UT              | Geographical area   | Forest Cover as per ISFR 2021   | Forest Cover as per ISFR 2023   | Change in Forest Cover between ISFR 2021 &ISFR 2023   |
|--------------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.                       | Andhra Pradesh        | 1,62,968.00         | 30,223.62                       | 30,084.96                       | -138.66                                               |
| 2.                       | Arunachal Pradesh     | 83,743.00           | 65,972.74                       | 65,881.57                       | -91.17                                                |
| 3.                       | Assam                 | 78,438.00           | 28,325.31                       | 28,313.55                       | -11.76                                                |
| 4.                       | Bihar                 | 94,163.00           | 7,403.26                        | 7,532.45                        | 129.19                                                |
| 5.                       | Chhattisgarh          | 1,35,192.00         | 55,830.88                       | 55,811.75                       | -19.13                                                |
| 6.                       | Delhi                 | 1,483.00            | 195.36                          | 195.28                          | -0.08                                                 |
| 7.                       | Goa                   | 3,702.00            | 2,267.22                        | 2,265.72                        | -1.50                                                 |
| 8.                       | Gujarat               | 1,96,244.00         | 14,836.57                       | 15,016.64                       | 180.07                                                |
| 9.                       | Haryana               | 44,212.00           | 1,628.22                        | 1,614.26                        | -13.96                                                |
| 10.                      | Himachal Pradesh      | 55,673.00           | 15,525.62                       | 15,580.35                       | 54.73                                                 |
| 11.                      | Jharkhand             | 79,716.00           | 23,706.97                       | 23,765.78                       | 58.81                                                 |
| 12.                      | Karnataka             | 1,91,791.00         | 39,106.57                       | 39,254.27                       | 147.70                                                |
| 13.                      | Kerala                | 38,852.00           | 21,925.94                       | 22,059.36                       | 133.42                                                |
| 14.                      | Madhya Pradesh        | 3,08,252.00         | 77,444.98                       | 77,073.44                       | -371.54                                               |
| 15.                      | Maharashtra           | 3,07,713.00         | 50,913.00                       | 50,858.53                       | -54.47                                                |
| 16.                      | Manipur               | 22,327.00           | 16,640.29                       | 16,585.46                       | -54.83                                                |
| 17.                      | Meghalaya             | 22,429.00           | 16,996.84                       | 16,966.84                       | -30.00                                                |
| 18.                      | Mizoram               | 21,081.00           | 17,748.73                       | 17,990.46                       | 241.73                                                |
| 19.                      | Nagaland              | 16,579.00           | 12,274.36                       | 12,222.47                       | -51.89                                                |
| 20.                      | Odisha                | 1,55,707.00         | 52,281.67                       | 52,433.56                       | 151.89                                                |
| 21.                      | Punjab                | 50,362.00           | 1,846.54                        | 1,846.09                        | -0.45                                                 |
| 22.                      | Rajasthan             | 3,42,239.00         | 16,632.01                       | 16,548.21                       | -83.80                                                |
| 23.                      | Sikkim                | 7,096.00            | 3,353.21                        | 3,358.40                        | 5.19                                                  |
| 24.                      | Tamil Nadu            | 1,30,060.00         | 26,511.18                       | 26,450.22                       | -60.96                                                |
| 25.                      | Telangana             | 1,12,077.00         | 21,279.46                       | 21,179.04                       | -100.42                                               |
| 26.                      | Tripura               | 10,486.00           | 7,680.08                        | 7,584.77                        | -95.31                                                |
| 27.                      | Uttar Pradesh         | 2,40,928.00         | 14,927.37                       | 15,045.80                       | 118.43                                                |
| 28.                      | Uttarakhand           | 53,483.00           | 24,326.81                       | 24,303.83                       | -22.98                                                |
| 29.                      | West Bengal           | 88,752.00           | 16,782.11                       | 16,832.33                       | 50.22                                                 |
| 30.                      | A&N Islands           | 8,249.00            | 6,736.94                        | 6,732.92                        | -4.02                                                 |
| 31.                      | Chandigarh            | 114.00              | 23.80                           | 25.00                           | 1.20                                                  |
| 32.                      | Dadra &Nagar Haveli # | 602.00              |                                 | 225.62                          | -0.32                                                 |
| 33.                      | Daman &Diu #          |                     | 225.94                          |                                 |                                                       |
| 34.                      | Jammu& Kashmir        | 2,22,236.00         | 21,262.84                       | 21,346.39                       | 83.55                                                 |
| 35.                      | Ladakh                |                     | 2,278.55                        | 2,285.92                        | 7.37                                                  |
| 36.                      | Lakshadweep           | 30.00               | 27.06                           | 27.06                           | 0.00                                                  |
| 37.                      | Puducherry            | 490.00              | 44.15                           | 44.31                           | 0.16                                                  |
| Grand Total 32,87,469.00 |                       |                     | 7,15,186.20                     | 7,15,342.61                     | 156.41                                                |

#From ISFR 2021 onwards Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have been combined into one UT.