(a) whether the Government proposes to start any scheme to carry out afforestation on land lying unused in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the names of the States where the said scheme is proposed to be launched in the first phase; and
(d) the time by which afforestation is targeted to be completed in various States?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)
(a) No specific scheme is proposed to carry out afforestation on land lying unused in the country by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) at present.
However, a massive need based and time bound programme of afforestation and tree planting on degraded and denuded land in the country, whether forest or non forest land is a national imperative as per the National Forest Policy (NFP), 1988. The policy also encourages planting of trees on private lands under State/corporate, institutional or private ownership along with raising of green belts in urban/ industrial areas. The policy also encourages plantation of trees alongside roads, railway lines, rivers, streams, canals etc. under social forestry.
The MoEF&CC is supporting State/UT Governments to take up afforestation programmes under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes such as National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission (GIM). Afforestation activities are also being taken up under various programmes/funding sources such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) and Compensatory Afforestation Fund. Further the plantation activities outside forest areas like agro forestry/ farm forestry /social forestry including massive plantation on all such lands are also being carried out cross-sectorally by various departments, Ministries, NGOs, Civil Society, Corporate etc., under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and also under different State Plan/Non Plan Schemes including Externally Aided Projects.
With a view to promote tree plantation on unused Railway land along the Railway tracks and along the National Highways, Model Agreements were also issued by the Ministry to all States/UTs for entering into the agreements with concerned Railway Zones in States and NHAI respectively for greening of such unused government lands. The concerned State Forest Departments are taking up plantation activity on railway land in States like Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, etc.
Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification& Maintenance) Policy-2015 of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways alsopromotes plantations along National Highways. Plantations are part of all National Highway projects which are undertaken as per the relevant contract provisions within the Right of Way of a national highway.
(b)to (d) Question does not arise.
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