Lok Sabha Question No. 61 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-01
Subject: Increase in Forest Fire Incidents
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi, Shri Sukhdeo Bhagat, Shri Manoj Kumar

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.61

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.12.2025

## Increase in Forest Fire Incidents

## 61.  ADV GOWAAL KAGADA PADAVI: SHRI SUKHDEO BHAGAT: SHRI MANOJ KUMAR:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of the sharp increase in forest-fire  incidents across the country, including over 8,091 cases between January and September, 2025 a 56 per cent rise as compared to 2024 in Maharashtra;
- (b) the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  strengthen  fire-early  warning  systems, satellite data and rapid-response capacity under the schemes, viz. National Forest Fire Monitoring  and  Green  India  Mission  across  the  country  including  Maharashtra  and Bihar;
- (c) whether any special central assistance or scheme variation has been approved for highfire-risk zones within Maharashtra and Bihar and the amount released so far;
- (d) the  plans  to  coordinate  with  the  State  Forest  Department  and  other  agencies  to  curb human-caused fires such as those from forest-produce collection or grazing;
- (e) whether  the  'Environment  Audit  Rules,  2025'  will  apply  to  forest-fire  prevention programmes and how compliance will be ensured;
- (f) the time by which there will be reduction in major forest-fire incidents in Maharashtra and Bihar and the metrics to monitor progress; and
- (g) the details of new preventive and mitigation strategies including early warning systems, community involvement, funding have been adopted by the Government to prevent forest fire along with the time line to make them operational nation wide?

## ANSWER

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

(a)        Forest  fires  are  a  recurring  challenge  in  India,  arising  from  a  combination  of  natural factors  such  as  high  temperatures,  prolonged  dry  spells,  and  lightning,  and  human-induced causes  including  shifting  cultivation,  deliberate  burning  for  fodder,  accidental  ignitions  etc. These risks are amplified by accumulated  dry fuel loads, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures, particularly in dry deciduous and hill forests. Effective prevention and management  require  robust  early-warning  systems,  community  participation,  adequate  firepreparedness measures, and coordinated efforts by Central and State Governments. However, forest protection including fire prevention and its management is primarily the responsibility of concerned State Governments /UT Administration.

The  Forest  fire  incidences  in  the  country  are  detected  by  the  Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI), Dehradun using satellite-mounted sensors. As per the data received from the FSI, Dehradun, the  total  forest  fire  incidences  detected  in  the  forest  fire  season  across  the  country  from November  2023  to  June  2024,  was  2,03,544  forest  fires  and  from  November  2024  to  June 2025,  was  2,38,309.  In  Maharashtra,  satellite-based  monitoring  using  SNPP-VIIRS  detected 16,008 forest fires during the fire season from November 2023 to June 2024 while 25,759 were detected from November 2024 to June 2025.

(b)  to  (c)    To  prevent  forest  fires,  the  Ministry  through  the  Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI), Dehradun provides Pre-Fire Alerts (one-week advance), Large Forest Fire Alerts and Near Real Time Forest Fire Alerts to the registered subscribers and State Forest department officials to combat  forest  fires.  The  Ministry  provides  financial  assistance  to  the  States  and  Union Territories under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme - Forest Fire Prevention and Management to deal  with  forest  fires  During  the  financial  year  2023-24,  an  amount  of  ₹147.06  lakh  was released to Maharashtra and ₹142.85 lakh to Bihar. In 2024-25, Maharashtra received ₹427.21 lakh, while no funds were released to Bihar. In the current financial year 2025-26 (till date), ₹150.00  lakh  has  been  released  to  Maharashtra,  and  no  releases  have  been  made  to  Bihar. During the financial year 2024-25, an amount of Rs. 146.16 lakhs was revalidated to the State of  Bihar  for  utilization  during  the  same  financial  year.  However,  the  Utilization  Certificate (UC),  Progress  Report  etc.  have  not  been  provided  by  the  State  of  Bihar  resulting  in  non release of funds to Bihar in financial year 2024-25 and 2025-26 (till date).

(d)    The important steps taken by the Government to prevent forest fires include the putting in place the National Action Plan on Forest Fire-2018, which provides comprehensive measures to prevent forest fires and enhance the resilience of forests against fire hazards, and the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations prepare State Action Plans in tandem with the National  Action  Plan  to  undertake  State/UT-specific  measures  for  forest  fire  prevention  and management. The Ministry, through the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, provides PreFire Alerts (one week in advance), Large Forest Fire Alerts, and Near Real-Time Forest Fire Alerts to registered subscribers and State Forest Department officials to effectively deal with forest  fires.  The  Ministry,  in  coordination  with  the  National  Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), has trained three teams consisting of 150 personnel to tackle Large Forest Fires, and these teams are deployed as per requirements to control fire incidents. The Ministry also provides financial assistance through the Centrally Sponsored  Scheme-Forest  Fire  Prevention  and  Management  (CSS-FFPM),  which  aims  to reduce  forest  fire  frequency,  improve  response  mechanisms,  protect  biodiversity  and  local communities,  and  restore  affected  forest  areas.  Financial  assistance  under  the  scheme  is provided  for  activities  which inter  alia include  creating  and  maintaining  forest  fire  lines, engaging forest fire watchers, building water storage structures, strengthening forest infrastructure, procuring fire-fighting equipment, conducting soil and moisture conservation in high-risk areas, raising awareness, and incentivizing communities for forest fire protection.

(e)      Environment  Audit  Rules,  2025  provide  for  engagement  of  Registered  Environment Auditors, accredited by the Environment Audit Designated Agency, under relevant environmental laws, rules, regulations, notifications, or directions of the Government, requiring compliance  verification,  auditing  and  additional  functions  as  prescribed  by  the  Central Government from time to time. Including the audit of forest-fire prevention programmes within their  scope,  and  consequent regular audits can  facilitate early detection of violations or noncompliance, thereby helping to prevent fire incidences.

(f)   Indicating a specific timeframe for the reduction of major forest-fire incidents across the country including in Maharashtra and Bihar is hampered primarily due to the fact that forestfire occurrence depends on highly variable climatic conditions, seasonal rainfall, temperature extremes,  and  human  activities,  all  of  which  are  dynamic.  The  trajectory  of  reduction  is contingent upon sustained implementation of State Action Plans, active community participation, and favourable climatic conditions. Progress is monitored through year-on-year reduction in forest-fire alerts detected through SNPP-VIIRS by FSI, the extent of area affected by  fires,  and  the  response  time  between  detection  and  first  action  by  field  staff.  Additional indicators  include  the  creation  and  maintenance  of  fire  lines,  water  storage  structures,  and deployment  of  fire  watchers  under  FFPM  assistance;  the  number  of  community  trainings, JFMC/EDC/Van Panchayat engagements, and awareness programmes conducted; compliance and  performance  audits  undertaken  by  Registered  Environment  Auditors;  deployment  and utilisation of specialised fire-fighting teams trained with NDMA/NDRF; and the incidence of large forest fires as captured by FSI's Large Fire Alert system. Continuous assessment using the above metrics/indicators, coupled with strengthened and sustained implementation by the State Governments, may support the achievement of a declining trend in forest-fire incidents in Maharashtra, Bihar, and other States in the forthcoming fire seasons.

(g)        The  Government  has  adopted  several  preventive  and  mitigation  strategies  to  address forest fires, including improved early-warning systems, strengthened community participation, and  enhanced  financial  and  institutional  support.  The  Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI)  has operationalised scientific Forest Fire Risk Zonation mapping and provides nationwide Pre-Fire Alerts,  Near  Real-Time  Alerts,  and  Large  Forest  Fire  Alerts  across  all  States  and  UTs.  The National  Action  Plan  on  Forest  Fire  (2018)  emphasises  community-based  management,  and States/UTs  conduct  regular  training  and  awareness  programmes  for  JFMCs,  EDCs,  Van Panchayats, and forest-fringe communities, supported by advisories issued by the Ministry. In coordination  with  NDMA  and  NDRF,  three  specialised  teams  comprising  150  trained personnel  have  been  established  to  assist  States  in  managing  large  forest  fires.  Financial assistance under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme - Forest Fire Prevention and Management supports fire line creation, water storage structures, deployment of fire watchers, procurement of equipment, and community training. Further, the Ministry of Home Affairs, through NDMA, is  implementing  the  Mitigation  Scheme  for  Forest  Fire  Risk  Management  in  144  fire-prone districts  across  19  States.  The  Ministry  has  also  finalised  Standard  Operating  Procedures through ICFRE for prevention, mitigation, and response, and circulated them to all States/UTs for  implementation.  FSI's  risk  zonation  enables  prioritised  resource  allocation,  and  the Ministry additionally promotes climate-resilient forest biomass utilisation strategies. Advisories are issued regularly to strengthen community engagement and generate awareness among forest-fringe communities for forest fire prevention.

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