In Short : The government is implementing various initiatives to expand green cover, including the National Afforestation Programme, Green India Mission, and CAMPA. Large-scale tree plantation drives, urban forestry, and agroforestry are also promoted. State-led afforestation programs further support reforestation efforts, aligning with India’s climate commitments and sustainable development goals.
In Detail : 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 Naam” was launched by Hon’ble 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.
