Question raised in Lok Sabha on Ecological Impact of Mining, 09/08/2016. The forest land diverted has not caused ecological imbalance. Since the enactment of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. the forest land diverted for non-forest use including mining purposes is on average approximately 25,000 Ha per year. The forest alnd diverted from October 1980 to date, State/UT-wise including Karnataka is given in Annexure -I. Non forestry activities including mining invariably have an impact on the environment and ecological balance.

Question raised in Rajya Sabha on Areas covered by dense forests, 01/08/2016. Forest cover of the country is assessed biennially and published as India State of Forest Report (ISFR) by Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, an organization under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. As per India State of Forest Report-2015, the forest cover of the country is 7, 01,673 square kilometers. The forest cover is divided into three classes namely Very Dense Forest (VDF), Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) and Open Forest (OF).

Question raised in Rajya Sabha on Loss of forest cover, 25/07/2016. During last ten years and current year, the Central Government has accorded approvals over 2,45,288 ha of forest land in 11580 cases for public and private sector projects. State wise details of approvals granted by the Central Government for use of forest land for such activities is given at Annexure-I