Jobaaj Stories
In the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament, Lok Sabha passed the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill,
The bill passed aims to clarify the scope of applicability of the previous forest conservation act, 1980 that regulates the extraction of forest resources, including timber and other required minerals by the industries and the local communities.
As per the amendment, there’s a need for prior forest clearance which can strip forest up to 0.1 hectares which is just alongside the railway track or a public road which is maintained by the government. These provisions shall also be applicable to tree plantations on some private lands(which are not categorized as forests).
It even seeks to broaden the horizons and boost the country’s forest cover.
Lok Sabha passed the bill with a voice vote exempting certain kinds of infrastructure and development projects from the need to get the forest clearance which is needed at present. This includes strategic linear projects which are of national importance and even concern the national security situated within 100km of international borders.
The amendment bill has also been renamed the parent legislation, the act passed in the 1980s to Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) which means Forest (Conservation and Augmentation). Besides, this is a reflection of the focus on afforestation and reforestation activities which fulfills the objective of increasing the forest cover and the international commitment to creating additional carbon sinks of 2.5-3 billion tones by 2030.
However, it is still unclear whether the bill will supersede the forest rights act which states the self-cultivation rights to the tribes of the forest dwellers, As per CNBC TV-18.
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