The forest resources of India have always been a victim of encroachments ever since India attained freedom in 1947. Because of land hunger and involvement of politicians and social activists, the encroachments on forests have been given different colour and explanation by different groups. It is a well-known fact that India’s food and water security is dependent on a healthy forest resource. The forest land encroachment has evolved into a chronic environmental and socio-political crisis, eroding biodiversity, exacerbating climate vulnerability, and displacing tribal and rural poor communities. Driven by population pressures, economic demands, and weak institutional frameworks, this issue has been significantly worsened by political actions — ranging from populist policies to regulatory dilutions — that prioritise short-term gains over sustainable conservation.

As on March 2024, according to the report submitted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the National Green Tribunal, a figure of over 1.3 million hectares of forest land remains encroached across 25 States and Union Territories. These States and UTs are Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur. States and UTs still to submit the data and details on forest encroachment are Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal, Nagaland, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Assam (3,620.9 sq km) and Madhya Pradesh (5,460.9 sq km) are worst affected, followed by Karnataka and Maharashtra. This represents a continuation of trends where India has lost significant forest cover, including 18,200 hectares of natural........

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