(a) whether the Government is considering to take action against the companies and
to stop their publicity claiming to have grown a forest in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government differentiates between planting of a sapling and taking
care of the sapling to grow as a tree;
(d) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken/being taken by the Government in
this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRIMATI JAYANTHI NATARAJAN):
(a)& (b) The Ministry of Environment & Forests has no such proposal.
(c) & (d) The Ministry of Environment and Forests is providing funds to the States under
Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Afforestation Programme (NAP) Scheme for regeneration
of degraded forests and adjoining areas in the country. The Scheme is being implemented through
a decentralized mechanism of State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) at State level, Forest
Development Agency (FDA) at Forest Division level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs)
at Village levels. As on 31-03-2013, an area of 19.40 lakh hectares has been treated through
42535 JFMCs under the NAP scheme since inception of the Scheme in 2002.