78,000 Hectares of Forest Land Diverted Since 2021, Data Shows Gaps

The Government of India has approved the diversion of more than 78,000 hectares of forest land for non-forest use between April 2021 and March 2025, according to information presented in the Lok Sabha.

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, said in a written reply that 78,135.84 hectares were cleared for activities such as mining, infrastructure, and other development projects. The data covers state and union territory-wise approvals.

The Environment Ministry had earlier told Parliament that more than 1.73 lakh hectares of forest land was approved for diversion between 2014 and 2024. Mining and hydropower projects accounted for a large share of these clearances.

Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 17,393.65 hectares, followed by Odisha with 11,033.08 hectares and Uttar Pradesh with 5,480.43 hectares. In the Northeast, Arunachal Pradesh saw 6,561.47 hectares diverted, and Assam 722.24 hectares.

Top States by Forest Land Diverted (2021–2025)

The ministry did not provide specific data on forest land diversion in Scheduled Areas or Fifth Schedule districts. “The details are not maintained at the level of this ministry,” Singh stated, citing that land is a state subject and legal forest boundaries are managed by state governments.

Gaps in Compensatory Afforestation

The government requires states to undertake compensatory afforestation to make up for lost forest cover. This is funded under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016.

But the performance varies widely.

In 2021–22, Andhra Pradesh had a target of 8,663 hectares but achieved only 3,471 hectares. Assam, with a target of 196 hectares, managed 114.5 hectares. Manipur, Meghalaya, and Mizoram reported zero compensatory afforestation that year.

Pradyut Bordoloi, Member of Parliament from Assam, raised concerns on social media after the data was made public. “Since 2021, the Government has diverted 10,721.11 hectares of forest land in NER (North Eastern Region) for non-forestry purposes,” he posted on X. “Some years, there was ZERO compensatory afforestation done in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram!”

#TodayInParliament I learnt that since 2021, the Government has diverted 10721.11 hectares of forest land in NER for non-forestry purposes.

Some years, there was ZERO compensatory afforestation done in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram! #ParliamentWithPradyut@INCAssampic.twitter.com/Tc9E92uTIm

— Pradyut Bordoloi (@pradyutbordoloi) August 4, 2025

Odisha showed stronger implementation. It achieved 13,686.57 hectares of afforestation against a target of 17,961.54 hectares in 2021–22.

Bihar, despite diverting 631 hectares, reported zero afforestation in 2021–22.

The data released covers projects approved by the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority for four financial years up to 2024–25.

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra also reported lower-than-targeted results in some years.

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund is managed by the National and State CAMPA bodies. A report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) pointed to delays in submitting annual plans, late release of funds, and lack of dedicated CAMPA offices as reasons for poor performance.

“Delays in submission of annual plans by states, late release of funds, and the lack of dedicated CAMPA offices affect seasonal forestry operations,” the CEC noted.

The report also flagged weak monitoring of plantation survival and said that the complex fund release process hinders timely action.

The CAMPA mechanism was created after the Supreme Court’s ruling in the 1995 T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India case. The Court ruled that user agencies must pay for afforestation when forest land is used for non-forest purposes.

To manage the funds, Parliament passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act in 2016. The law requires that all funds collected for diverted forest land be used for afforestation, degraded forest recovery, and ecological restoration.

The CAF Rules, 2018 laid out how states and union territories must spend these funds. But poor planning and oversight continue to limit results.

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