Cement, Energy & Environment

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 991 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12. 08.2013 National Forest Policy, 1988 991. Shri Vishwa Mohan Kumar: Shri Ravneet Singh: Shri K. Jayaprakash Hegde: Shri Francisco Sardinha: Shri C. R. Patil: Shri Mahabali Singh: Shri Haribhau Jawale: Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT and FORESTS be pleased to state: (a) Whether the Government has fixed any target for green cover under the National Forest Policy, 1988; (b) If so, the details thereof; (c) The steps taken by the Government to achieve the said target; (d) Whether environmental activists have expressed concern over the fast depleting forest cover in Himalayan region of the country; and (e) If so , the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government to protect it from both ecological and tourism point of view? ANSWER Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environement and Forests (Shrimathi Jayanthi Natarajan) (a) & (b) The national Forest Policy, 1988 provides for having a minimum of one-third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover as a national goal. The policy further prescribes that in the hills and in mountainous regions, the aim should be to maintain two-third of the area Under such cover in order to prevent erosion and land degradation and to ensure the stability of the fragile eco-system. The details of the forest cover State/ UT-wise as per Indian State of Forest Report 2011 are given in table at Annexure. (c) the Ministry of Environment & Forests is supporting the State Governments in implementing the programmes of afforestation, forest conservation and protection to achieve this goal. The Government of India Supports afforestation and social forestry programmes , especially on all denuded, degraded and unproductive lands through various schemes like National Afforestation Programme (NAP) , Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGS), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), 13 1 h Finance Commission under different sate Plan/ Non-Plan schemes including Externally - Aided projects etc. with public participation in the form of Joint Forest Management (JFM). (d) & (e) no such reports have been received in the Ministry. **** Annexure referred to reply on parts (a) & (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 991 regarding National Forest Policy, 1988 by SHRI VISHWA MOHAN KUMAR , SHRI RAVNEET SINGH, SHRI K. JAYAPRAKASH HEGDE, SHRI FRANCISCO SARDINHA, SHRI C. R. PATIL, SHRI MAHABALI SINGH, SHRI HARIBHAU JAWALE State wise Forest Cover as per India State of Forest Report 2011 Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Chhattisgarh Delhi Goa Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir Jharkhand Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Mizoram 27506 83743 78438 94163 135191 1483 3702 196022 44212 55673 222236 79714 38863 308245 307713 21081 46389 67410 27673 2845 55674 176 2219 14619 1608 14679 22536 22977 17300 77700 50646 19117 Table Contd.. 38 . -