Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
azadi ka amrit mahotsav

Parliament Question: Steps To Bring More Area Under Green Cover

Posted On: 06 FEB 2025 3:38PM by PIB Delhi

The National Forest Policy (NFP) 1988 envisages the national goal to have a minimum of one-third of the total land area under forest or tree cover and two-thirds of the area under such cover in the hill and mountainous regions of the country.

As per latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR) – 2023 published by Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, the total tree and forest cover of the country is 8,27,356.95 square kilometre which is 25.15% of the geographical area of the country. The tree and forest cover of the country has increased by 1445.81 square kilometre as compared with the previous assessment report of ISFR 2021.

The State-wise details of India's geographical area under tree and forest cover, as per ISFR 2023, is given below:

(Area in sq. Km.)

State/UTs

Geographical

Area

Forest Cover

Tree Cover

Total Forest Cover including Tree Cover

Andhra Pradesh

1,62,922.57

30,084.96

5,340.02

35,424.98

Arunachal Pradesh

83,743.22

65,881.57

1,201.63

67,083.20

Assam

78,438.00

28,313.55

2,101.46

30,415.01

Bihar

94,163.00

7,532.45

2,370.21

9,902.66

Chhattisgarh

1,35,192.00

55,811.75

6,538.70

62,350.45

Delhi

1,483.00

195.28

176.03

371.31

Goa

3,702.00

2,265.72

257.82

2,523.54

Gujarat

1,96,244.00

15,016.64

6,632.29

21,648.93

Haryana

44,212.00

1,614.26

1,693.02

3,307.28

Himachal Pradesh

55,673.00

15,580.35

855.07

16,435.42

Jharkhand

79,716.00

23,765.78

3,637.55

27,403.33

Karnataka

1,91,791.00

39,254.27

7,779.15

47,033.42

Kerala

38,852.00

22,059.36

2,905.94

24,965.30

Madhya Pradesh

3,08,252.11

77,073.44

8,650.14

85,723.58

Maharashtra

3,07,713.00

50,858.53

14,524.88

65,383.41

Manipur

22,327.00

16,585.46

209.82

16,795.28

Meghalaya

22,429.00

16,966.84

720.56

17,687.40

Mizoram

21,081.00

17,990.46

567.80

18,558.26

Nagaland

16,579.00

12,222.47

394.02

12,616.49

Odisha

1,55,707.00

52,433.56

6,163.45

58,597.01

Punjab

50,362.00

1,846.09

1,475.15

3,321.24

Rajasthan

3,42,238.99

16,548.21

10,841.12

27,389.33

Sikkim

7,096.00

3,358.40

48.33

3,406.73

Tamil Nadu

1,30,060.00

26,450.22

5,370.72

31,820.94

Telangana

1,12,122.44

21,179.04

3,517.66

24,696.70

Tripura

10,486.00

7,584.77

247.56

7,832.33

Uttar Pradesh

2,40,927.56

15,045.80

8,950.92

23,996.72

Uttarakhand

53,483.36

24,303.83

1,231.14

25,534.97

West Bengal

88,752.00

16,832.33

2,938.12

19,770.45

A&N Islands

8,249.00

6,732.92

26.97

6,759.89

Chandigarh

114.00

25.00

21.18

46.18

Dadra & Nagar

Haveli and Daman & Diu

 

602.00

 

225.62

 

36.83

 

262.45

Jammu & Kashmir

2,22,236.00

21,346.39

3,666.97

25,013.36

Ladakh

2,285.92

893.02

3,178.94

Lakshadweep

29.63

27.06

0.20

27.26

Puducherry

490.00

44.31

28.89

73.20

Total

32,87,468.88

7,15,342.61

1,12,014.34

8,27,356.95

 

The protection and management of forests is primarily the responsibility of the State Government. The Government has formulated adequate legal and regulatory frameworks at national and state levels, which regulate the protection, conservation, and management of the forests of the country. The major central level policy and legislations concerning the management and conservation of forests include the National Forest Policy, 1988, Indian Forest Act, 1927, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980, and Biological Diversity Act, 2002, etc.

To bring more areas under green cover, the Government is implementing various schemes such as such as National Mission for a Green India (GIM), Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) and Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI). The schemes primarily support ecological restoration through afforestation in and outside forest areas, forest landscape restoration, habitat improvement, soil and water conservation measures and protection etc.

The tree plantation campaign Ek Ped Maa Ke Naamwas launched by Honble Prime Minister on 5th June 2024 to undertake plantation activities across the country.

This information was provided by UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE, SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

*****

 

VM

(Rajya Sabha US Q367)


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