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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 712
TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2026
Deforestation in Chhattisgarh
712. SMT. PHULO DEVI NETAM:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to
state:
(a) the forest area (in hectares) diverted for the mining projects, including details of
primary rainforest and biodiversity-rich zones cleared or proposed to be cleared;
(b) whether Government has conducted a cumulative environmental impact assessment of
the project, considering its potential effects on indigenous communities, marine
ecosystems and endemic species; and
(c) whether the compensatory afforestation proposed under the Forest (Conservation) Act
has been completed and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) and (b) During the period 2020-21 to 2024-25, the Central Government has granted prior
approval under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 for diversion of
18,913.64 hectares of forest land for mining projects across various States and UTs, covering
various forest types.
In accordance with the provisions of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam,
1980 and the rules framed thereunder, proposals received from the State Governments are
comprehensively examined by the Advisory Committee constituted under Section 3 of the
Adhiniyam. Such examination includes due diligence in assessing the direct and indirect
impacts of diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes on forests, wildlife, and the
environment. Keeping in view the impact of the project on flora and fauna, additional
mitigation measures such as Soil and Moisture Conservation works, Wildlife Management
Plans, and Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) Plans are stipulated on a case-to-case basis,
wherever necessary.
It is mandatory for all coal mining projects to obtain Environmental Clearance (EC) under the
provisions of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, for which a
detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study is conducted. The EIA study for coal
mining projects assesses environmental impacts such as changes in land-use patterns, and
levels of dust, air, water, and noise pollution. Based on this assessment, a comprehensive
Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is formulated, incorporating safeguards including
dust suppression measures, water and noise pollution control measures, concurrent plantation
to compensate for loss of flora, implementation of wildlife management plans to mitigate
adverse impacts on fauna, afforestation of safety zones, phased reclamation of mined-out areas,and redressal of concerns that emerge during the public consultation process, all of which are
required to be undertaken by the project proponent.
(c) Compensatory Afforestation activities are implemented in accordance with the approved
Annual Plan of Operations (APO), duly conforming to the provisions of the Compensatory
Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and the CAF Rules, 2018, as well as the guidelines issued under
the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. The State/UTs wise details of
Compensatory Afforestation undertaken from 2020-21 to 2024-25 is given in Annexure-I.
******Annexure-I
Annexure referred to in the reply of part (c) of the Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question
No. 712 asked by Smt. Phulo Devi Netam regarding Deforestation in Chhattisgarh
Compensatory Afforestation from 2020-21 to 2024-25
Area (in ha.)
S. No. State/UT 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
Andaman &
1. 0 0 36.56 95.47 132.03
Nicobar Islands
2. Andhra Pradesh 500.91 485.11 708.54 311.12 3471.88
3. Arunachal Pradesh 1793.93 11608.44 4458.67 2858.42 20719.46
4. Assam 652.578 114.5 0 382.56 1149.64
5. Bihar 1661.51 0 0 1321.09 3171.67
6. Chandigarh - 0.79 0.18 - 0.97
7. Chhattisgarh 2963.34 1541.69 465.2 467.74 7039.23
8. Delhi 47.54 23.02 72.06 37.34 179.96
9. Goa 200 200 299 470 1209
10. Gujarat 1019.85 3646.72 4584.53 2004.94 14103.32
11. Haryana 1240.06 1870.22 1608.86 Nil 5012.91
12. Himachal Pradesh 876 899 885 888 4073
13. Jammu & Kashmir 3545 306 1360.71 262.08 6434.79
14. Jharkhand 2734.49 3324.86 3202.83 2789.84 15739.27
15. Karnataka 188.03 522.77 715.01 720.29 2761.26
16. Kerala 11.7 42.84 0 117.26 171.8
17. Ladakh - - - - 21746.82
18. Madhya Pradesh 3892.66 3585.66 3457.22 5301.66 4316.74
19. Maharashtra 633.57 218.351 182.27 544.384 666.94
20. Manipur 666.94 0 0 0 114.56
21. Meghalaya Nil Nil 114.56 0 2570.24
22. Mizoram 1236.5 1303.78 29.96 Nil 0
23. Odisha 3802.2 3501.45 4632.86 1628.66 16964.78
24. Punjab 311.99 644.995 800.38 940.38 4019.72
25. Rajasthan 2147.85 808.52 444.79 1365.4 7377.15
26. Sikkim 106.04 183.98 94.67 53.19 609.52
27. Tamil Nadu 0 0 82.57 0 84.76
28. Telangana 4178.16 2490.07 2052.71 551.12 13686.57
29. Tripura 182.8 391.86 566.4 669.85 2295.23
30. Uttar Pradesh 1136.58 1091.43 1604.68 1288.6 5877.16
31. Uttarakhand 2325.61 2738.62 2448.71 1697.24 11812.89
32. West Bengal 122.42 282.03 106.17 139.92 748.25