Lok Sabha Question No. 247 (STARRED), answered on 2016-03-15
Subject: Villages in Forest Areas
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: HARIOM SINGH RATHORE, AJAY NISHAD

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 247 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2016

## Villages in Forest Areas

## * 247. SHRI HARIOM SINGH RATHORE: SHRI AJAY NISHAD:

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

- (a) the number of villages in the forest areas of the country, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has formulated any scheme for the  rehabilitation/regularisation  of these villages and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the funds provided for the said purpose during the last three years, State/UTwise; and
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  fixed  any  target  and  time  limit  for  the  rehabilitation/ regularisation of the villages and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI   PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) to (d)  A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

***

Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 247 due for answer on 15.03.2016 asked by Shri Hariom Singh Rathore and Shri Ajay Nishad regarding Villages in Forest Areas.

- (a) The villages in forest areas may include forest villages, old habitations, unsurveyed villages  and  other  villages  in  the  forests,  whether  recorded,  notified  or  not  into revenue  villages. However,  as  per  information  available in the Ministry of Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change,  the  State-wise  details  of  the  forest villages in the country is given at Annexure-I .
- (b) to (d) Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of 'Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats' and 'Project Tiger' under which funds are provided to States/UTs for relocation and rehabilitation of forest villages. The State/UT-wise details of funds provided for the said  purpose  under  the  above  schemes  during  the  last  three  years  are  given  at Annexure-II .

Further, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of  Forest  Rights)  Act,  2006  recognises  the  settlement  and  conversion  of  forest villages,  whether recorded, notified or not, into revenue villages as a forest right. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which is the nodal agency for implementation of this Act,  has  also  issued  guidelines  on  08.11.2013  regarding  conversion  of  all  forest villages,  old  habitations,  unsurveyed  villages  and  other  villages  in  the  forests, whether recorded, notified or not, into revenue villages under section 3(1)(h) of the said Act.

Rehabilitation and conversion of the forest villages is a continuous process, hence no target and time limit for such rehabilitation/regularisation of these villages has been fixed.

*****

Annexure-I

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 247 due for  answer  on  15.03.2016  asked  by  Shri  Hariom  Singh  Rathore  and  Shri  Ajay  Nishad regarding Villages in Forest Areas.

## Statement showing total no. of forest villages in various states

| S.N.   | States         | Total No. of Villages   |
|--------|----------------|-------------------------|
| 1      | Assam          | 499                     |
| 2      | Chhattisgarh   | 425                     |
| 3      | Gujarat        | 199                     |
| 4      | Jharkhand      | 24                      |
| 6      | Madhya Pradesh | 893                     |
| 5      | Meghalaya      | 23                      |
| 7      | Mizoram        | 85                      |
| 8      | Odisha         | 20                      |
| 9      | Tripura        | 62                      |
| 10     | Uttarakhand    | 61                      |
| 11     | Uttar Pradesh  | 13                      |
| 12     | West Bengal    | 170                     |
| Total  | Total          | 2,474                   |

Annexure-II

Annexure referred to in reply to parts (b) to (d) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 247 due for answer on 15.03.2016 asked by Shri Hariom Singh Rathore and Shri Ajay Nishad regarding Villages in Forest Areas.

State-wise details of funds released during last three years for relocation of villages

## A. Under  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  'Integrated  Development  of Wildlife Habitats'

(Rs. in lakhs)

| S. No.   | State   | 2012-13   | 2013-14   | 2014-15   |
|----------|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1.       | Kerala  | 784.00    | -         | 446.00    |
| 2.       | Mizoram | -         | 122.20    | -         |
| Total    | Total   | 784.00    | 122.20    | 446.00    |

## B. Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of 'Project Tiger

(Rs. in lakhs)

| S. No.   | State          | 2012-13   | 2013-14   | 2014-15   |
|----------|----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1.       | Madhya Pradesh | 3857.00   | 2800.00   | 2415.00   |
| 2.       | Mizoram        | 227.00    | 122.00    | -         |
| 3.       | Rajasthan      | 3679.177  | -         | -         |
| 4.       | Maharashtra    | -         | 2164.00   | 2000.00   |
| 5.       | Kerala         | 784.00    | 00        | 446.00    |
| Total    | Total          | 8547.177  | 5086.00   | 4861.00   |