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On World situation Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge connected Friday (June 5, 2026) attacked the Modi authorities for "dismantling" forests and "weakening" the biology governance framework.
In a station connected X, Mr. Kharge alleged that India's earthy forests are being steadily eroded portion the Modi authorities relies connected manipulated definitions and selective accounting to "manufacture an illusion" of biology progress.
"On World Environment Day, it is clip to halt the further degradation of our forests, rivers, oceans, air, and habitats. While PM Modi publically urges citizens to header with rising vigor done symbolic gestures specified arsenic 'staying hydrated' to flooded the sweltering temperatures, his Govt is simultaneously presiding implicit 1 of the astir assertive and large-scale assaults connected India's ecological wealthiness successful caller history," helium charged connected X.
Official figures and task clearances bespeak that astir 1,91,922 hectares of wood person been chopped disconnected successful the past 11 years, helium claimed.
Since 2014, Mr. Kharge alleged, an estimated 1.6 crore positive trees person been destroyed, laying bare the contradiction betwixt the Modi government's greenish claims and crushed reality.
"Across the country, this ecological demolition continues unabated: In Andaman & Nicobar, the Great Nicobar task threatens to destruct ~10 lakh trees, endangering a fragile land ecosystem.
"In Madhya Pradesh, mining and infrastructure enlargement are wiping retired ~7 lakh trees crossed wood regions. In Chhattisgarh, the Hasdeo Arand ember mining task is acceptable to fell ~5 lakh trees, severely impacting a captious biodiversity hotspot," the Congress main said.
"In Rajasthan, helium claimed, aggregate improvement projects endanger astir ~1.5-4 lakh trees, further weakening the already fragile Aravalli ecosystem. In Uttar Pradesh, highways and expressways person led to the removal of astir 1 lakh trees," helium claimed, adding that successful Assam, road enlargement has chopped astir 1 lakh trees successful conscionable 4 years.
In Odisha, the Bharatmala task has resulted successful the felling of astir 50,000 trees and successful Maharashtra, coastal roadworthy operation and mining activities are destroying astir 45,000 trees on with captious mangrove ecosystems.
While the Modi authorities continues to assertion an summation successful wood cover, Kharge said, the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) defines "forest cover" utilizing satellite-based canopy density and includes not lone earthy forests but besides rubber plantations, lipid thenar plantations, orchards, bamboo plantations, and different tree-covered lands supra 1 hectare.
"This deliberate conflation of plantations with earthy forests masks the ongoing demolition of biodiversity-rich ecosystems and allows ecological nonaccomplishment to beryllium disguised arsenic statistical stableness oregon adjacent growth.
"India's earthy forests are being steadily eroded portion the Modi Government relies connected manipulated definitions and selective accounting to manufacture an illusion of biology progress. Studies amusement dense and biodiverse forests are being replaced by plantations and fragmented patches," Mr. Kharge said.
"This authorities has weakened and dismantled India's biology governance model built implicit decades," helium alleged.
This framework, helium said, was archetypal institutionalised nether erstwhile premier curate Indira Gandhi done landmark laws, including the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), Water Act (1974), Forest Conservation Act (1980), and Air Act (1981).
It was further expanded nether the Congress-UPA Government with the Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognising forest-dwelling communities' rights, the EIA Notification, 2006 strengthening biology clearance, the National Green Tribunal (2010) ensuring enforcement, and the National Action Plan connected Climate Change (2008) providing India's archetypal clime framework, helium said.
"In crisp contrast, the Modi Government has weakened, diluted, and bypassed these safeguards done procedural relaxations, accelerated clearances, and regulatory weakening that prioritises projects implicit ecological protection.
"Ultimately, India's biology imaginativeness indispensable remainder connected 3 cardinal principles: unwavering respect for the regularisation of law, meaningful concern with section communities alternatively than struggle with them, and a designation that biology extortion and quality improvement are profoundly interconnected. Only done specified an attack tin India physique a safer, healthier, and much resilient aboriginal for the 21st century," the Congress person said.
