India diverted over 78,000 ha of forest land in 2021-25 for various projects: Govt

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Over the past four years, the Indian government has approved the diversion of more than 78,100 hectares of forest land for various development projects across the country. Madhya Pradesh leads with the highest area approved for diversion, followed by Odisha and Arunachal Pradesh. In the first half of 2025 alone, over 12,324 hectares were cleared for non-forest use.