Editor's Pick: Lok Sabha passes Forest Conservation Bill

The Lok Sabha passed the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, without any changes from the first version introduced on March 29. The contentious Bill was introduced to amend the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The amendments made by the Bill, and now passed by the Lok Sabha encourage the practice of cultivating plantations on non-forest land, which can increase tree cover over time, act as a carbon sink and aid India’s ambitions of having ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2070. They also seek to remove restrictions imposed by the original Act in creating infrastructure that would aid national security and create livelihood opportunities for those living on the periphery of forests. The Bill was mired in controversy from the start, which prompted a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate it. Nearly 1,300 representations from a multitude of groups were sent to the JPC, objecting to clauses of the Bill. These objections were deliberated upon but ultimately dismissed by the panel. Critics said that the amendments “diluted” the Supreme Court’s 1996 judgement in the Godavarman case that extended protection to wide tracts of forests, even if they were not recorded as forests. There were also objections to the Act’s new name — Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, translated as Forest (Conservation and Augmentation) Act, instead of the existing Forest (Conservation) Act — saying it was “non-inclusive” and left out many among the “(non-Hindi speaking) population in south India and the northeast”. Here’s a detailed explainer on the controversy on the Bill. An earlier editorial in The Hindu pointed out that the Bill “signals the complex challenges involved in balancing industrial development and the conservation of forests.” “The amendments effectively mean States can no longer classify unclassified forest land, or patches of trees with forest-like characteristics as ‘forest land’. The amendments also allow forest land, up to 100 km near India’s borders, to be appropriated, without central approval, for “strategic and security” purposes,” it added. Here The Hindu’s In Focus podcast discusses the likely impact of the legislation on the country’s already depleted forests. The Hindu’s Editorials Uniting the House: On the government, the Opposition and the Manipur issue Resilient, but just: On the IMF’s economic outlook and lopsided growth The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz How many members of Parliament need to support a no-trust motion for it to be adopted? 250 100 175 50 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 27 July 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Lok Sabha passes Forest Conservation Bill The Lok Sabha passed the [Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill]( on Wednesday, without any changes from the first version introduced on March 29. The contentious Bill was introduced to amend the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The amendments made by the Bill, and now passed by the Lok Sabha encourage the practice of cultivating plantations on non-forest land, which can increase tree cover over time, act as a carbon sink and aid India’s ambitions of having ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2070. They also seek to remove restrictions imposed by the original Act in creating infrastructure that would aid national security and create livelihood opportunities for those living on the periphery of forests. The [Bill was mired in controversy]( from the start, which prompted [a Joint Parliamentary Committee]( (JPC) to investigate it. Nearly 1,300 representations from a multitude of groups were [sent to the JPC, objecting to clauses of the Bill](. These objections were deliberated upon but [ultimately dismissed by the panel](. Critics said that the amendments “diluted” the [Supreme Court’s 1996 judgement in the Godavarman case]( that extended protection to wide tracts of forests, even if they were not recorded as forests. There were also objections to the Act’s new name — Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, translated as Forest (Conservation and Augmentation) Act, instead of the existing Forest (Conservation) Act — saying it was “non-inclusive” and left out many among the “(non-Hindi speaking) population in south India and the northeast”. Here’s a [detailed explainer]( on the controversy on the Bill. An earlier editorial in The Hindu pointed out that the Bill “signals the complex challenges involved in balancing industrial development and the conservation of forests.” “The [amendments effectively mean States can no longer classify unclassified forest land]( or patches of trees with forest-like characteristics as ‘forest land’. The amendments also allow forest land, up to 100 km near India’s borders, to be appropriated, without central approval, for “strategic and security” purposes,” it added. [Here The Hindu’s In Focus podcast]( discusses the likely impact of the legislation on the country’s already depleted forests. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Uniting the House: On the government, the Opposition and the Manipur issue]( [Arrow][Resilient, but just: On the IMF’s economic outlook and lopsided growth]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz How many members of Parliament need to support a no-trust motion for it to be adopted? - 250 - 100 - 175 - 50 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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