The ministry is in talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to work out intricate details of the project, which would facilitate real time data of forests in the country and help the officials monitor the hotspots, check illegal chopping of trees, get details of forest fire and update the national forest inventories.

The move could bring a massive change in the management and monitoring of forests in the country, besides expediting green clearances which currently get delayed because of the unavailability of accurate forest data. Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar is taking special interest in the project, especially in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi issuing directions to all Central ministries to increase the use of satellite technology.

The Railway Ministry has already sought the ISRO’s help for containing accidents on unmanned railway crossings, while Minister of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has roped in the space agency to keep a tab on the polluting industries along the banks of Ganga.

A senior MoEF official, who is privy to the development, said, “Currently, we get the data from other agencies but there are a lot of discrepancies.

The data from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) puts the forest cover at 22 per cent of the country’s geographical area, while the ISRO has different figures.

It is very embarrassing that the two government agencies have as many separate figures. Having our own satellite means we will get the raw data from the Indian Space Research Organisationand our experts can analyse forest cover.”

A dedicated satellite could offer the governments, businesses and communities insight into how forests in the region are changing.

“The need (for a dedicated forest satellite) was felt as project clearances sometimes get delayed in the absence of accurate and up-to-date data related to pristine forest.

“Several mining projects are also stuck because there is confusion over the density and quality of forest cover. While diverting forest cover for non-forest purposes, project proponents are expected to submit a detailed report of the number of trees felled. “Often, the data was found to be inaccurate. Having real time data will solve the entire problem and help in expediting green clearances,” the official said.

Though the cost of the satellite would be decided only after the ministry finalises the specifications and the sensors it would require, Javadekar has decided to take up the matter with the Department of Space to make it cost-effective.

The MoEF has notified its requirement and specifications to the ISRO and asked it to provide a detailed report on the cost and the resources needed. Senior ministry officials have held several meetings with the ISRO to discuss the plan.

Currently, the FSI brings out a report on the state of Indian forest once in two years.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has recently started using the Geographic Information System (GSI) to monitor afforestation across the country in lieu of diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes to companies for infrastructure and other projects.