Amendments to Forest Conservation Act opened door for privatisation of forest management: Congress

Congress leaders assertion caller changes to the Forest (Conservation) Act facilitate the leasing of wood onshore to backstage entities, raising concerns implicit biology governance and semipermanent impacts connected India’s wood management

The Congress connected Wednesday (January 7, 2026) alleged that the amendments made to the Forest (Conservation) Act successful 2023 person opened the doorway for the privatisation of wood management.

Congress wide caput and erstwhile Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh shared connected X a screenshot of a circular issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change connected January 2 related to amendment of the guidelines specifying the presumption and conditions for the duty of wood onshore connected lease.

“In August 2023, the Modi Government had bulldozed amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 done Parliament. Apart from renaming this instrumentality arsenic the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, these amendments had introduced far-reaching changes successful the ineligible authorities for the governance of forests successful the country,” Mr. Ramesh said successful his station connected X.

“It had been pointed retired astatine that clip itself that the amendments opened the doorway for privatisation of wood management. This is precisely what has happened arsenic evidenced from the circular issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change connected January 2, 2026,” the Congress person said.

This is conscionable the beginning, helium added.

The circular shared by Mr. Ramesh stated that based connected proposal of Advisory Committee and support of the said recommendations by competent authority, the Central Government with a presumption to align with the evolving model for restoration of wood onshore and utilisation of silviculturaly disposable sustainable harvest from forests and successful accordance with proviso of Section 2(1)(i), and Section 3C of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, hereby amend the sub para 14 of para 7.2 of the guidelines notified connected 29.11.2023 and incorporated astatine para 7.2 of the Consolidated Guidelines, by inserting the pursuing proviso: “Provided that wherever the State Government agrees to undertake assisted earthy regeneration including afforestation/plantation, for purposes mutually agreed betwixt the States/UTs and Government oregon non-Government entities, specified activities undertaken successful accordance with the provisions of an approved Working Plan/Management Plan, applicable successful specified cases and nether the supervision of the State Forest Department shall beryllium deemed to represent forestry activities,” the circular stated.

Consequently, the requirements of Compensatory Afforestation and outgo of Net Present Value shall not beryllium applicable to specified activities, it said.

The State Government shall, however, beryllium astatine liberty to devise an due model for the utilisation of specified plantations and for gross sharing thereof, connected a case-to-case basis, the circular said.

“Provided further that afforestation/plantations should beryllium allowed by the State/UTs successful accordance with a Detailed Project Report [DPR] to beryllium prepared successful consonance with provisions of the Working Plan and approved by the competent authorization specifying the item viz. grade of area, taxon projected for plantations, activities proposed, silviculturaly disposable sustainable harvest for utilisation, etc.,” the circular read.