Question raised in Lok Sabha on Forest Cover, 08/03/2016. Forest Survey of India, Dehradun is carrying out the assessment of forest cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report. The latest report in the series is India State of Forest Report 2015. As per this report, the total forest cover of the country is 7,01,673 square kilometers which is 21.34% of the total geographical area of the country. There is a net increase of 3775 square kilometers in the forest cover of the country as compared with India State of Forest Report-2013.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Environmental Clearances, 08/03/2016. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in consultation with Central Pollution Control Board has reclassified the industries into “red”, “orange”, “green” and “white” based on the score of pollution load (index). For the new category of “white” industry, which is practically non-polluting will not require Environmental Clearance and Consent. A list of white category of industries is annexed as Annexure – A.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Drought Assistance, 08/03/2016. During the year 2015-16, Karnataka (both for Kharif and Rabi), Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telengana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan, had submitted Memoranda seeking financial assistance from National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) in the wake of drought. On receipt of such memoranda, Government of India constituted Inter-Ministerial Central Teams(IMCTs) to visit the drought affected areas of these States for an assessment of the requirement for the quantum of financial assistance.

Question raised in Rajya Sabha on Deaths from Arsenic Contamination, 08/03/2016. Consumption of contaminated drinking water can cause diseases such as Cholera, Acute Diarrhoeal Diseases, Enteric Fever (Typhoid), Viral Hepatitis etc. As per the data reported by Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), State/UT- wise number of cases and deaths due to Cholera, Acute Diarrhoeal Diseases, Enteric Fever (Typhoid), and Viral Hepatitis during the years 2013-2015 are given at Annexure.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Classification of Industries, 08/03/2016. Pursuant to a proposal received from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) the Ministry has approved a new concept for the categorization of industries based on the relative pollution potential of the industrial sectors. As per the new concept, Pollution Index scores have been worked out based on the emissions (air pollutants), effluents (water pollutants), hazardous wastes generated and consumption of resources, for various industrial categories.

Question raised in Rajya Sabha on Cardiovascular Diseases in the Country, 08/03/2016. According to the report of National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (NCMH), there were 380 lakh cases of CVD in the year 2005 and these are estimated to rise to 641 lakh cases in 2015. A Statement showing State/UT-wise (including West Bengal) release and utilization of funds under National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) for the last three years is at Annexure.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Air Quality, 08/03/2016. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) are monitoring ambient air quality across the country under National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). Three air pollutants viz., Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Afforestation Projects, 08/03/2016. The Ministry of Environment and Forests is implementing the National Afforestation Programme (NAP) scheme for afforestation of degraded forests in the country through people’s participation. The scheme is implemented through the State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) at the state level, Forest Development Agency
(FDA) at the forest division level and the Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the village level. The details of funds released to States including Andhra Pradesh are given at Annexure.

The Handbook is intended to provide authentic and reliable database covering various aspects of urban sector such as urban demography, socio-economic indicators of various urban centres in the country, urban employment, public expenditure on urban development, urban transport and performance of cities under urban reform indicators.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Review of Crop Insurance Schemes, 01/03/2016. Government of India has recently approved Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) which would replace the existing schemes of National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) & Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) from ensuing Kharif 2016 season. All the major issues enumerated above have been addressed in the PMFBY. Salient features of the scheme are at Annexure-I. State-wise details of premium collected from farmers during last one year (i.e.