End the ¡®Ease of Living¡¯: What Are Forest Conservation Rules 2022? Why Do They Matter?
The MoEFCC notified the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022 under the Forest Conservation Act on June 28. This modification, which violates a provision of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), will allow private developers to clear forests without first obtaining the permission of the forest dwellers. It has been referred to as the "ease of snatching" of forest land.
The Forest (Conservation) Rules, 20Forest Conservation Rules 2022, Forest (Conservation) Act, MoEFCC, Forest Rights Act, Adivasi Community, Indian Adivasi, afforestation, Land rights, Adivasi livelihood, Forest rights, Adivasi rights, Environment news,22 was recently issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980's Section 4 grants it, superseding the 2003 Forest (Conservation) Rules.
According to the new regulations, the union government may permit the clearance of a forest without first informing its residents.
The Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022 have been pushed by the Narendra Modi government to "streamline the process of approvals ¡ª for diversion of forested areas for other activities ¡ª under the regulations and allow the parallel processing under other acts and rules."
Congress claims that state governments will come under even more pressure to speed up the process of diverting forest land at the expense of the livelihood rights of tribals.
Forest Conservation Rules, 2022
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The MoEFCC notified the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022 under the Forest Conservation Act on June 28. This modification, which violates a provision of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), will allow private developers to clear forests without first obtaining the permission of the forest dwellers. It has been referred to as the "ease of snatching" of forest land.
According to the guidelines, it is now the responsibility of the state governments to ensure that Scheduled Tribes have access to their customary forest lands. This is because the Union government is no longer required to collect Adivasi consent before approving a project.
According to NewsLaundry, the new regulations allow the union government to approve the clearance of a forest without first discussing the locals, putting their consent to it fait accompli (leaving them with little choice but to accept it).
What about the consent from forest dwellers
Prior to the approval of private projects, the Union government had to confirm the permission of the forest residents and ensure the protection of their rights to the forest.
Now, even before the state government obtains the approval of the forest residents, the handover of the forest can be granted and the Center can obtain payment for compensatory afforestation from the private developer.
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In order to guarantee that the FRA¡¯s provisions were followed, the forest ministry had mandated through a circular issued in 2009 to confirm the existence of any ST claimants to the forest area, verify their claims, and grant them possession of the forestland even before the in-principle clearance is given.
The gram sabha will only ask the forest inhabitants for consent to take over their land after all of the claims have been resolved.
This provision has been removed from the new regulation.
The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will discuss the new rule for 30 working days in one or more sessions.
End the ¡®Ease of Living¡¯
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Modi-Mitr' Sarkar at its crony best! The UPA's Forest Rights Act, 2006 has been weakened by the BJP government's new FC Rules, 2022 for "easy of snatching" forest land. Congress stands strongly with our Adivasi brothers & sisters in their fight to protect Jal, Jungle, and Zameen.¡±
Jairam Ramesh, the chief spokesperson for the Congress and a former environment minister, wrote on Twitter about how state governments will come under great pressure from the federal government to expedite the process of diverting forest land at the cost of tribal members' rights to their land and other means of subsistence.
If anything demonstrates the Modi Sarkar's TRUE intent on protecting & promoting interests of Adivasis, it is this decision, which will disempower crores of Adivasis & others living in forest areas:https://t.co/QQmjTgEIAa
¡ª Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 10, 2022
Sharing INC¡¯s statement on #AdivasiVirodhiNarendraModi pic.twitter.com/HRTOqpcnow
He writes, ¡°This has obviously been done in the name of ¡®ease of doing business for a chosen few. But it will end the ¡®ease of living¡¯ for the vast many.¡±The Union Environment and Forests Minister Bhupender Yadav defended the guidelines on Twitter shortly after the Congress voiced its criticism, claiming that the announced rules are not in contradiction with the Forest (Conservation) Act and that compliance can be assured "subsequently."
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