Kendrapada: A total of 12,716.27 hectares of forest land was diverted for non-forest use in Odisha between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2026, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Replying to a question raised by MP Sanjay Singh, minister of state for environment, forest and climate change Kirti Vardhan Singh said 105,594.32 hectares of forest land were diverted for non-forest purposes during the same five-year period across the country under the provisions of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.Singh said whenever diversion of forest land is unavoidable, prior approval from the Centre is granted only after imposing several mandatory conditions and mitigation measures, including compensatory afforestation, payment of net present value, implementation of soil and moisture conservation measures, wildlife management plans and catchment area treatment plans, wherever applicable.He added that the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016, along with the CAF Rules, 2018, was enacted to compensate for the loss of forest cover and ecosystem services resulting from diversion of forest land. Afforestation activities are undertaken through approved annual plans of operation in accordance with the provisions of the CAF Act and the guidelines issued under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam.The minister informed the House that proposals seeking diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes are processed online through the PARIVESH portal. The portal provides information on forest land proposed for diversion, details of user agencies and the status of applications. However, data on the number of trees felled under individual projects is maintained by the respective state and Union territory govts.Quoting the India State of Forest Report-2023, prepared by the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, Singh said India’s total forest and tree cover now stands at 827,356.95 sq km, accounting for 25.17% of the country’s geographical area. The report recorded an increase of 1,445.81 sq km in forest and tree cover compared with the ISFR 2021. The country’s total carbon stock has risen to 7,285.5 million tonnes, reflecting an increase of 81.5 million tonnes over the previous assessment, Singh added.
An area where forest land has been diverted for non-forest use
An area where forest land has been diverted for non-forest use
