Indian Forest Bill

Forest Bill defeats purpose of the law

Parliament is expected to take up the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill in the Monsoon Session's first week as a joint committee of parliamentarians examining the proposed law's provisions adopted its report on Tuesday amid dissents by some opposition members. The committee's chairperson Rajendra Agarwal said its report has been adopted and it will now be tabled in Parliament in the upcoming session. He, however, declined to give details of the report. The bill was introduced by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in the Budget Session this year. It seeks to exempt certain categories of lands from the purview of the Forest Conservation Act to fast-track strategic and security-related projects of national importance. Some rights groups and opposition parties have criticised its provisions, asserting that these will compromise safeguards for the country's forests. Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi, a member of the committee, said he has given a dissent note against several provisions

Nagar Van Yojana, launched in 2020, aims to enhance green cover, biodiversity in cities

The government argued that the exclusion of bamboo from the definition of "tree" would promote bamboo cultivation