Context:
67% of major forest fires in India were extinguished within 24 hours in the November 2023 – June 2024 season, marking a significant improvement from 33% in the previous season, as per report of Forest Survey of India.
Key Findings:
- Total Fire Incidents
- The total number of forest fires detected by the Forest Survey of India in 2023-24 was 2,03,544, a slight decrease from the previous season’s total of 2,12,249.
- States with Highest Forest Fires
- Uttarakhand: 21,033 fires (a significant increase of 292% from the previous season, which had 5,351 fires).
- Government Initiatives to Combat Forest Fires
- This project, called National Action Plan for Forest Fires (NAPFF), began in 2018, whose aim is to reduce forest fires by educating, enabling, and empowering the communities on the fringes of forests and motivating them to partner with state forest departments.
- The Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme (FPM)
- It is the only government-sponsored programme dedicated to assisting states in dealing with forest fires.
