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Parliament was informed of a modest increase in forest cover across India’s major cities, alongside ongoing industrial non-compliance with environmental standards
The government outlined funds released to states for disaster response, alongside data on flooding and riverbank erosion in Assam
Ministries reported progress on renewable energy capacity, river rejuvenation under Namami Gange, and future coal-based power requirements
Lawmakers were updated on stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and the extent of protected forest area in Bihar
According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, the total forest cover in the seven mega cities — Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad — stands at 511.81 square kilometres, accounting for 10.26 per cent of their total geographical area, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav told the Lok Sabha. This represents an increase of 2.09 square kilometres compared with the previous assessment reported in ISFR 2021.
Based on the recommendations of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Union Ministry of Finance has released a total of Rs 77,089.05 crore over the last three financial years, from 2022-23 to 2024-25, to states, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary told the Lok Sabha.
The funds were released as the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF), additional central assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), and assistance from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund.
As per data provided by the State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees (SPCB/PCC), there are a total of 6,09,886 industries in India, of which 5,44,364 are operational, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Lok Sabha. Among these operational units, 23,981 industries were found to be non-compliant with environmental standards.
Action taken by SPCBs and PCCs included closure directions against 3,600 units, issuance of 13,718 show-cause notices, filing of 229 legal cases, and issuance of 6,434 directives, in accordance with environmental laws.
According to a morphological study of the Brahmaputra River conducted by the Central Water Commission (CWC) through IIT Guwahati, total erosion of 252.6 sq km and deposition of 118.6 sq km occurred between 2003-05 and 2008-11, Singh told the Lok Sabha.
Further, as per the CWC report Assessment of Area Affected Due to Floods in India, 2024, based on satellite imagery data from 1986 to 2022, the total flood-affected area in Assam is estimated at 2.477 million hectares, covering 33 of the state’s 35 districts.
According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), 5,114 incidents of paddy straw burning were reported in Punjab between September and November 2025, Singh told the Lok Sabha. The government has taken several measures to eliminate paddy stubble burning.
A comprehensive framework for the prevention and management of paddy straw burning was developed by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), followed by year-wise, state-specific action plans for Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Based on this framework, the respective state governments prepared action plans to address stubble burning.
As per India State of Forest Report 2023, the recorded forest area of the country is 7,75,377 square kilometres, accounting for 23.59 per cent of India’s geographical area, Singh told the Lok Sabha. Bihar’s recorded forest area stands at 7,442 square kilometres, which is 7.9 per cent of the state’s geographical area.
District-wise details of recorded forest area are not published in ISFR 2023.
As of December 31, 2025, India’s total installed electricity generation capacity stood at 5,13,730 megawatts (MW), comprising 2,46,942 MW (48.07 per cent) from fossil fuel sources and 2,66,788 MW (51.93 per cent) from non-fossil fuel sources, Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik told the Rajya Sabha.
During 2025, a total of 48,436 MW of renewable energy capacity was added, including 37,945 MW of solar power and 6,347 MW of wind power.
Under the Namami Gange Programme, between the financial years 2014-15 and 2025-26 (up to January 27, 2026), the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) disbursed Rs 21,024.84 crore to various agencies for projects and interventions aimed at rejuvenating the River Ganga and its tributaries, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary told the Rajya Sabha.
Studies estimate that the projected requirement for thermal (coal and lignite) power capacity by 2034–35 will be approximately 3,07,000 MW, compared with an installed capacity of 2,11,855 MW as of March 31, 2023, Naik told the Rajya Sabha. To meet this requirement, the Ministry of Power has envisaged the addition of at least 97,000 MW of coal- and lignite-based capacity.
Since April 2023, around 17,360 MW of thermal capacity has been commissioned up to 20 January 2026. In addition, 39,545 MW of thermal capacity, including 4,845 MW of stressed projects, is currently under construction. Contracts have been awarded for a further 22,920 MW, while 24,020 MW of coal- and lignite-based capacity is at various stages of planning.