1,734 sq km of forests lost to devpt activities in 10 years: Govt

The government informed Rajya Sabha that India lost 1,734 sq km of forest area to development activities in the last decade. Despite this, compensatory afforestation led to an overall increase of 21,762 sq km in forest cover by 2021 compared to 2011. Major forest land diversions occurred in MP, Odisha, Telangana, Gujarat, and Arunachal Pradesh.