1. Over 13,000 sq km of forest land is encroached upon across 25 States and Union Territories in India, an area larger than the combined geographical size of Delhi, Sikkim, and Goa.
  2. Madhya Pradesh accounts for the highest encroachment, with 5,460.9 sq km affected as of March 2024, followed by Assam with 3,620.9 sq km.
  3. Karnataka has 863.08 sq km of encroached forest land, while Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh have 575.54 sq km and 534.9 sq km respectively; Tamil Nadu has 157.68 sq km under encroachment.
  4. The encroached lands fall under the category of Recorded Forest Area (RFA), which includes all land officially designated as forest, irrespective of tree cover.
  5. RFA is divided into reserved forests (with full protection), protected forests (some activities allowed unless restricted), and unclassed forests (not categorized as reserved or protected).