1,734 sq km of forest land diverted for development in last 10 years

According to the Indian government, 1,734 square kilometres of forest land have been diverted for development and non-forest use in the last ten years, between 2014-15 and 2023-24.

Madhya Pradesh, which has the largest area under forest cover in the country, leads the states in diverting the forest land for non-forest use.

This information was provided by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav, in Lok Sabha.

According to the 18th India State of Forest Report 2023, 8,27,357 sq km which is 25.17 % of the geographical area of the country, was under forest and tree cover.

The total forest cover In 2023 was 7,15,343 sq km (21.76% geographical area of the country ) and the Tree Cover was 1,12,014 sq km (3.41% geographical area of the country).

Central government permission mandatory 

Forests are a protected area in India, but they can be used for non-forest uses like building infrastructure, mining, etc, by following the procedures established by law.

The Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, governs the provision regarding the use of forest lands for non-forest use.

Under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, the state government or a competent authority before permitting the use of forest land for non-forest use, must obtain the permission of the central government.

Without the central government's permission, no forest land can be diverted for any other use.

Madhya Pradesh leads in Forest diversion 

According to the central government, the maximum diversion of forest land for non-forest use was recorded in Madhya Pradesh. 385.52 square kilometres of forest was diverted in the last ten years.

The following is the list of states where forest lands were diverted in the last 10 years.

• Odisha diverted around 244 square kilometres,
• Telangana diverted 114.22 square kilometres,
• Gujarat diverted 99.85 square kilometres, 
• Arunachal Pradesh diverted 94.95 square kilometres,
• Rajasthan diverted 87.96 square kilometres,
• Maharashtra diverted around 85 square kilometres, 
• Jharkhand diverted 83.53 square kilometres, 
• Chhattisgarh diverted 79.25 square kilometres, 
• Uttar Pradesh diverted 70.59 square kilometres,
• Uttarakhand diverted 64.71 square kilometres,
• Andhra Pradesh diverted 54.55 square kilometres.

18th India State of Forest Report 2023: Know its Main Points