Ahead of elections, Odisha waives off sal leaf royalty
Imposition of GST and royalty had together almost stopped the procurement of the leaves, which are used to make biodegradable plates
Palamu Tiger Reserve land diverted without ministry permission
All state governments and UTs are restricted from diverting forest land without prior permission
Jharkhand govt doesn’t have legal rights over 38% of its forest
The state forest department has not issued final notifications to convert 7.33 lakh hectares of forest land, rendering this land legally …
Here's how government is encouraging illegal trade in red sanders
A contradictory policy towards export of red sanders is fuelling illegality and hurting farmers
Rules to implement Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act to be finalised by January 3
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act was passed to restore forest cover which was lost due to diversion of forest land
How accurate are government’s claims on forest rights in Odisha
A review by the Centre recently found Odisha to be the best performing state in forest rights implementation
Odisha tribals to sell kendu leaves and exercise their forest rights
The state’s forest department has not allowed sale of the leaves to anyone other than the goverment
Wildlife recall: Manas National Park's experiment with former poachers
Once in the grip of armed insurgency, a national park has lessons in wildlife management
UP forest dept cites stayed SC order for eviction
Although activists and forest dwellers could resist this attempt, the notice that came a day after still didn’t have any mention of the stay
A decade on, only 40% of FRA claims approved
The latest status report of the FRA says most claims were rejected by either gram sabhas or district committees
Six villages in Odisha can now sell tendu leaves
These villages were earlier denied their right to sell this minor forest produce to any other buyer apart from the state's forest department
Madhya Pradesh forest department violates FRA, seizes tendu leaves from tribals
The leaves were reportedly confiscated as the women were selling them to buyers other than the forest department
Tribal ministry tells states to stop rejecting FRA claims on invalid grounds
In a letter dated June 27, Leena Nair, the then secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs had written to the chief secretaries of states raising …
FRA comes to the rescue of people displaced by Salwa Judum
The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs decides to conduct a survey of the displaced people who had fled to Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, in order …
Indian Forest Act amendment: Govt ready with first draft
The draft, which has been prepared with focus on conservation and climate change, has been sent to states seeking comments
Centre to rejig minimum support for minor forest produce
But it would be better if instead of making changes on paper, the government implements the scheme well, say experts
Odisha tribal organisations protest against draft CAF Rules
The protests are in opposition to the vague position of the Rules on forest-dwelling communities in the compensatory afforestation process
Nearly 213 ha in protected areas diverted between April and July
Standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife approved 21 projects for diversion, deferred 7 for later
Nearly 500 ha forest land in protected areas diverted in 2019
Standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife gave nod to carry out 68 projects in protected areas
‘Waiving off oil, gas exploration clearance could’ve grave consequences’
Oil and gas exploration poses huge risk to islands, fishing areas, breeding grounds and migratory routes, says CSE expert
New MoEF guidelines for elephant deaths from anthrax
Environment ministry suggests official team to collect biological samples, dispose infected carcasses safely and map anthrax hotspots
New mining leases deemed to have all approvals for 2 years: Environment ministry
New lessee will take on water, air, forest rights and other liabilities from the previous lessee
Communities denied justice due to logjam between tribal affairs and environment ministry
Even as cases of FRA violations are being reported, the environment ministry has backtracked on its earlier promise of involving communities in …
India continues to lose forest land to non-forestry projects
Central environment ministry reports diversion of 11,467 hectares forest land in 2019 (up to first week of November)
Bird flu deaths on the rise, environment ministry issues guidelines
As many as 250 crows in Rajasthan, 1,700 migratory birds in Himachal Pradesh have died since December 2020