Question : Tree Plantation

(a) the total geographical area under tree cover in square kilometer and as a percentage of total area of the country, State/ UT-wise;
(b) the details of total cost/expenditure incurred and total number of trees planted by the Government during each of the last four years and the current year, State/ UT-wise;
(c) the total number of trees proposed to be planted in the next four years, year-wise and State-wise along with the financial allocation made therefor; and
(d) the measures taken by the Government to increase tree plantation and tree cover in the country?

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

(a) As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017, a biennial report by Forest Survey of India (FSI) of this ministry, the forest and tree cover in the country is 8,02,088 square kilometer (sq.km) ( forest cover 708273 sq.km and tree cover 93815 sq.km) i.e. 24.39% of the total geographical area of the country. The State-wise detail of Forest and Tree cover in the country is given at Annexure I.

(b) to (d) Afforestation targets in the country under 20 Point Programme (20 PP) are fixed annually by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in consultation with the States and achievements are monitored by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and MoEF&CC. The afforestation targets are achieved through various cross-sectoral and multi departmental activity under various centrally sponsored schemes of different ministries and a number of State Plan and Non Plan Schemes. State-wise and year-wise achievements for number of seedlings planted under 20 PP during 2015 16 to 2017-18 & the target for the year 2019-20 given at Annexure II.

This ministry implements two schemes National Afforestation Programme (NAP) for tree plantation in degraded forests through people’s participation and National Mission for a Green India (GIM), for plantation on landscape basis. An area over 2 million ha. has been afforested with an investment of about Rs.3874 crore under NAP since its launching year 2000. The State-wise funds released during the last three years under NAP and GIM is given in the Annexure-III.

The ministry also supports school nursery and urban forestry programmes. The fund under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), inter-alia, is also used in plantation activity including compensatory afforestation. In addition plantations are also done by various departments, Non-government organizations, civil society, corporate bodies etc.


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