Guwahati, Feb. 4 -- The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a group of 60 retired civil servants, has written an open letter to the Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change, expressing serious concerns about the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023.

The CCG alleged the report, released a year late in December 2024, presents a misleadingly positive picture of India's forests, masking significant deterioration.

The letter claims the ISFR 2023 suffers from flawed reporting and reveals a decline in both the quantity and quality of forest cover.

Criticizing the report's methodology, the CCG argued that the report includes orchards, gardens, and plantations as forests, leading to inflated figures.

They also point to ina...