Lok Sabha Question No. 5812 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Forest Cover in Maharashtra
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dr. Shivaji Bandappa Kalge, Shri Bhumare Sandipanrao Asaram, Shri Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  5812

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## Forest Cover in Maharashtra

5812.   SHRI NILESH DNYANDEV LANKE: SHRI BHUMARE SANDIPANRAO ASARAM: DR. SHIVAJI BANDAPPA KALGE:

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

- (a) the present status of forest area in Maharashtra;
- (b) the number of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the said State;
- (c) the measures taken by the Government to conserve the endangered species of the said State;
- (d) the details of funds allocated for conservation projects in the said State during the last three years and the current year; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to take any new initiative to reduce industrial pollution in the said State and if so, the details thereof?

## 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). As per ISFR-2023, the Recorded forest area of Maharashtra is 61,952 square kilometer which is 20.13 % of the geographical area of the State of Maharashtra.
- (b) There are 6 National Parks and 52 Wildlife Sanctuaries in the State of Maharashtra.
- (c) & (d) Wildlife  management  is  primarily  the  responsibility  of  the  respective  States  and Union  Territories.  The  Government  of  India  provides  financial  assistance  to States/UTs, including Maharashtra, under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes viz Development  of  Wildlife  Habitats  (DWH)  and  Project  Tiger  &  Elephant  for conservation and management of Protected Areas, conservation of wildlife outside Protected Areas, recovery of critically endangered species, habitat improvement, antipoaching measures, strengthening of protection networks, maintenance of fire lines, weed  eradication, eco-development,  community  awareness,  capacity  building, voluntary village relocation etc.

The  details  of  funds  released  for  conservation  projects  under  various  Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) to the State of Maharashtra is given below:-

(Rs. in Lakhs )

|   Sl. No. | Name of the CSS Scheme                                                       |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |   2024-25 |   2025-26 (till date) |
|-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------------------|
|         1 | CSS- Development of Wildlife Habitat                                         |    350.38 |    554.69 |    622.06 |                497.72 |
|         2 | Project Tiger Component of CSS - Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats |    809.62 |   2531.41 |   4149.7  |               2372    |
|         3 | Project Elephant Component of CSS -Project Tiger &Elephant                   |     28.52 |     83.04 |     27.01 |                 13.33 |

- (e) The  Ministry  notifies  'Standards  for  Emission  or  Discharge  of  Environmental Pollutants from various Industries' under Schedule-I of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986. So far, 79 industrial specific environmental standards have been notified. The  industrial  sectors,  for  which  specific  standards  are  not  available,  general standards as notified under Schedule-VI of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986 are  applicable.    The  concerned  State  Pollution  Control  Board/Pollution  Control Committee (SPCB/PCC) ensures the implementation of the said standards. In case of non-compliance, action against industry is taken under provisions of the environmental laws.

CPCB has directed all 17 categories of high pollution potential industries, common hazardous  waste  and  biomedical  waste  incinerators,  Common  Effluent  Treatment Plants (CETPs), Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) in Ganga and Yamuna Basins, Air polluting industries in NCR-Delhi to install Online Continuous Effluent/Emission Monitoring  Systems  (OCEMS)  for  strengthening  monitoring  mechanism  and effective  compliance  through  self-regulatory  mechanism  and  constant  vigil  on pollution levels.

Real-time  values  of  environmental  pollutants  of  trade  effluent  and  emissions generated through OCEMS  are  transmitted  online  to  CPCB  and  concerned SPCB/PCC on 24x7 basis. Central software processes the data and in case of value of pollutant parameter exceeds prescribed environmental norms, an automatic SMS alert  is  generated  and  sent  to  industrial  unit,  SPCB  and  CPCB,  so  that  corrective measures can be taken by the industry immediately and appropriate action can be taken by concerned SPCB/PCC/CPCB.

Further,  CPCB  classifies  various  sectors/activities  under  colour  coded  categories based on their pollution potential. During 2025, CPCB has revised the classification methodology to classify sectors into Red, Orange, Green, White and Blue categories. The Classification-2025 includes incentive mechanism for the units in any sector that adopt environment friendly practices such as use of 100% cleaner fuel/renewal energy etc.  and  ensuring  continuous  compliance.  This  will  result  in  better  environmental performance and reduce industrial pollution.

The SPCBs/ PCCs impose emission standards on the industries for granting prior consent (Consent to Establish/ Consent to Operate), as per the provisions of the Air Act, 1981, apart from the Water Act, 1974.

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