Large areas of forest land are being diverted to other projects throughout India by the Government. A total 11,467.83 hectares (114.68 square kilometre) forest lands were diverted in 22 states between January 1 and November 6, 2019 .
Key Points
i.According to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change annual report 2019-20 the diversion was for 932 non-forestry projects under the Forest (Conservation )Act (FCA), 1980.
ii.14 projects in Odisha diverted 4,514 hectares (ha) of forest land, which is equal to 1/3rd of the total diverted forest land.
iii.11 projects in Telangana diverted 2,055 ha of forest land.
iv.11 projects in Jharkhand diverted 869.99 ha of forest land.
v.Madhya pradesh diverted 795.36 ha for 220 projects.
Note: The most number of projects were in Haryana where a total diversion of 519.53 ha for 251 projects.
| State | Number of Projects | Total Forest Land approved for diversion (in ha) |
| Goa | 1 | 0.93 |
| Mizoram | 1 | 23.69 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 1 | 63.27 |
| Chhattisgarh | 1 | 207.99 |
| Kerala | 2 | 0.26 |
| Tripura | 2 | 1.80 |
| West Bengal | 2 | 102.33 |
| Maharashtra | 2 | 151.81 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 3 | 37.82 |
| Tamil Nadu | 6 | 18.45 |
| Karnataka | 11 | 162.61 |
| Jharkhand | 11 | 869.99 |
| Telangana | 11 | 2055.05 |
| Odisha | 14 | 4514.00 |
| Rajasthan | 27 | 370.34 |
| Bihar | 28 | 453.43 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 52 | 434.36 |
| Uttarakhand | 64 | 159.74 |
| Gujarat | 99 | 114.01 |
| Punjab | 123 | 411.07 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 220 | 795.36 |
| Haryana | 251 | 519.53 |
| TOTAL | 932 | 11467.83 |
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change
Union Minister – Prakash Javadekar
Minister of State – Babul Supriyo
