LS okays Forest bill amid Manipur row
NEW DELHI : Six bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, of which the key Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, was approved, amid continued protests by Opposition parties over the violence in Manipur and adjournments since the monsoon session started. The forest conservation bill is part of two key bills dealing with forests and biodiversity making their way through the Parliament in the monsoon session.
The Lok Sabha already cleared the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday. The forest conservation bill seeks to exclude land within 100 km of India’s borders from forest conservation laws, expediting strategic and security-related projects of national importance and facilitating the development of vital security infrastructure, especially at places such as the Line of Actual Control, Line of Control and Left-Wing Extremism affected areas.
The bill also allows for establishing zoos, safaris, and eco-tourism facilities in forest areas, providing encumbrance-free clearance for connectivity projects related to small establishments, habitations on the side of public roads and railway infrastructure construction. According to the government, environmental challenges and new policy priorities warranted amendments to this law.
Union minister Bhupender Yadav stated in the objectives of the bill when it was introduced in Lok Sabha earlier this year that these priorities included achieving the net-zero emission target by 2070. The government has a heavy legislative agenda during the monsoon session, with 31 bills awaiting passage.
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