Question : Cutting of Trees due to Development Works

(a) the total area vis-a-vis total geographical area under Tree cover/Forest cover in the country, State/UT-wise;
(b) whether the Government has any data/estimates regarding the number of trees cut due to development works, construction, forest-fire and other reasons in the last five years and if so, the details thereof;
(c) the measures taken by the Government to plant more trees in the country along with the number of trees planted in the last four years, State/ UT-wise; and
(d) whether the Government has made separate budgetary provisions for tree plantation to increase forest cover in the country, if so, the details thereof, State/ UT-wise?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a) Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry carries out assessment of forest cover of the country biennially and findings are published in India State of Forest Report (ISFR). As per the latest report i.e. ISFR- 2017, the total forest and tree cover in the country is 8,02,088 square kilometre (forest cover 7,08,273 square kilometre, tree cover 93,815 square kilometre) which is 24.39% of the geographical area of the country. There is an increase of 8,021 square kilometre (forest cover 6,778 square kilometre, tree cover 1,243 square kilometre) of total forest and tree cover compared to that of ISFR-2015. The State/UTs wise details of forest and tree cover as per ISFR-2017 are given in Annexure I.

(b) Trees are felled for various development purposes with the permission of competent authorities in accordance with the procedure laid down in various Acts. The details of permission of tree felling granted by the Ministry under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 from 2014-15 to 2018-19 is given in Annexure-II. However, Ministry does not maintain data regarding the cutting of trees due to forest fire.

(c ) & (d) To increase forest cover of the country, afforestation programmes are being taken up under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes such as National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission (GIM) being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Afforestation activities are also taken up under various programmes/funding sources such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, CAF and under concerned State/UT schemes/plans.
A sum of Rs.237.07 crore has so far been released to twelve states under GIM for undertaking afforestation activities over an area of 87113.86 hectare and providing alternative energy devices to 56,319 households. Under NAP, an amount of Rs.328.90 Crore has been released to the States to treat new area of 94828 hectares during the last four years (215-16 to 2018-19). Details of fund released by the Ministry under NAP and GIM during the last four years to States/UT are given in Annexure-III and IV respectively.

Whenever forest land is diverted for non-forestry purpose, Compensatory Afforestation over an equal non-forest land or double the degraded forest land is carried out from the funds deposited in Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF). The details of fund released to the various States/UTs since 2014-15 is given in Annexure-V.


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