India Lost 1 Lakh Hectares of Forest Land Since 2020 for Roads, Mining, Hydel Projects

• Nearly 97,050 hectares of forest land were diverted for non-forestry purposes in India from 2020-21 to 2024-25, as per the Union Environment Ministry.
• Madhya Pradesh accounted for the largest share of diversions, with 24,346 hectares, followed by Odisha (12,875 hectares) and Gujarat (6,850 hectares).
• Road construction claimed the most forest land (22,233 hectares), followed by mining (18,913 hectares) and hydel/irrigation projects (17,434 hectares).
• The government approved 10,026 proposals and rejected only 120 during this period, indicating an overwhelmingly high approval rate.
• The Environment Ministry attributes faster processing of Environmental Clearance proposals to regulatory reforms, technology, and a single-window system.