Forest cover and forest rights

The Central government informed Rajya Sabha that the recorded forest area in the country is 7,67,419 sq km, as surveyed by the India State of Forest Report, 2019. It has so far not quantified the forest area that has been under dispute. Key points: The recorded forest area in the country: 4,34,853 sq km falls under the Reserved Forests category, 2,18,924 sq km under the Protected Forests category, and 1,13,642 sq km are of unclassed forests. The word ‘forest’ is not defined in any Central Forest Act, namely the Indian Forest Act (1927), or the Forest Conservation Act (1980). The....Read More